Yukos, once Russia's largest oil company, was declared bankrupt on August 1, 2006, after three years of litigation with tax authorities over arrears. Its founder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, is serving an eight-year prison sentence in Siberia for fraud and tax evasion.
Overall, Yukos has paid off more than 710 billion rubles (about $28.4 billion) to its creditors out of proceeds from liquidation auctions, and defaulted on claims worth 76 billion rubles (about $3 billion).
The liquidation of Yukos was widely seen as part of the Kremlin's drive to regain control over the country's oil and gas sector. Most of the company's main assets fell into the hands of Rosneft through the liquidation process, making the state company Russia's largest oil producer.
