Russia has issued an international arrest warrant for Kremlin critic and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who stands accused of ordering the killing of the mayor of a Siberian oil town.

Khodorkovsky, who denies the charges, was arrested in 2003 after falling out with President Vladimir Putin and was later convicted of tax evasion and fraud in a trial he said was politically motivated.

Key points: Mikhail Khodorkovsky charged in absentia over three murders

Mikhail Khodorkovsky charged in absentia over three murders He denies the crimes, saying Russia has "gone mad"

He denies the crimes, saying Russia has "gone mad" Khodorkovsky has been a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin's presidency

Khodorkovsky has been a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin's presidency Arrest warrant issued day after raids on offices linked to Khodorkovsky

Released in 2013, he now lived abroad and spends a lot of time in London.

The Investigative Committee, which reports directly to Mr Putin, charged Khodorkovsky in absentia for allegedly ordering subordinates to kill Vladimir Petukhov, the mayor of Nefteyugansk, in 1998.

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee, said the motive was financial and linked to Mr Petukhov's demands for oil company Yukos to pay taxes he said it was avoiding.

Khodorkovsky, 52, was also charged with the attempted murders of two other people.

Russia announced the warrant a day after armed police raided the Moscow offices of a pro-democracy movement founded by Khodorkovsky.

"They've gone mad," Khodorkovsky shot back in a statement released by his opposition group Open Russia.

He said an order to have him arrested in absentia compared favourably to a new law that would allow Russian police to fire at women and children.

"And what's most important it will be safe for the public," he said.

His spokeswoman Kulle Pispanen dismissed the announcement as political pressure, adding it would not affect him.

"Mikhail Borisovich will by no means limit his movements because of the hysterical actions of the Kremlin ghouls," Ms Pispanen said, referring to the former business magnate by his first name and patronymic.

Khodorkovsky's lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant said it was up to foreign countries to decide whether to comply with the warrant.

Speaking on Echo of Moscow radio, he called the arrest announcement "another bout of fraudulent activities".

On Tuesday, investigators raided the apartments of employees of Khodorkovsky's Moscow-based Open Russia group, set up to help nurture civil society in the country, as well as its offices.

The searches appeared tied to a 2003 case which led to the criminal prosecution of one of Russia's most powerful oligarchs and the dismemberment of his Yukos oil company which have become defining events in Mr Putin's presidency.

Raids ridiculed by Khodorkovsky's backers

The Investigative Committee has said it is also checking the information provided in a Paris appeals court by shareholders of now-bankrupt Yukos, who are seeking $50 billion in damages from Russia and convinced the court to back the freezing of Russian assets in France.

Supporters and Khodorkovsky's staff ridiculed the raids.

"In revenge for the arrest of Russian property in France, the Investigative Committee arrested Kulle Pispanen's MacBook and iPhone, a letter to Father Christmas and a portrait of Khodorkovsky," Open Russia employee Maria Baronova said on Facebook.

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Khodorkovsky spent a decade in prison on charges of tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement which he and his supporters say were trumped up in revenge for his political ambitions.

He was suddenly pardoned by Mr Putin in 2013 and flown out of the country.

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted on Wednesday that there was no contradiction between the president's move to pardon the ex-tycoon and the arrest warrant.

When investigators announced earlier this month they planned to press new charges against Khodorkovsky, he called a news conference in London, saying revolution in Russia was inevitable.

"The investigation is looking into who stole Yukos shares," Khodorkovsky said on Twitter on Tuesday.

"Let me give you a tip," he added, next to a picture of the Kremlin.

AFP/Reuters