(Russian Journalist) Anna Politkovskaya Murdered in Moscow

Grani.ru ^ | October 7th, 2006

[struwwelpeter]

Anna Politkovskaya, the famous journalist and political commentator from Novaya Gazeta was killed in Moscow. This was reported by Novaya Gazeta's chief editor Dmitri Muratov to the radio station Echo of Moscow.

The murder occurred around 5 in the evening on Lesnaya Street, where Politkovskaya lived. An unknown man in dark clothing shot her with a pistol.

A police source reported to Interfax that a neighbor of the journalist found her body in the elevator. Police also found a discarded Makarov pistol and four empty cartridges.

Politkovskaya's home is now cordoned off by the police, reported ITAR-TASS. The police are questioning residents, trying to find out if anyone heard the shots or saw any suspicious characters in the stairwell.

According to Moscow prosecutor Yuriy Semin, a criminal case has been opened. Police are looking for a young man, slightly taller than average, with a thin body build. He may be wearing a dark baseball cap.

Igor Yakovenko, the general secretary of the Russian Journalists Union told Echo of Moscow that Politkovskaya was an absolutely fearless individual. Without fail, she was 'number one' in investigating dangerous subjects, and the took on even the most challenging problems.

Politkovskaya was threatened one several occasions. In September of 2001 she published an article in Novaya Gazeta, titled 'The Missing People', which discussed the fate of Chechen Zelimhan Murdalov, who was arrested in Chechnya by the Hanty-Mansiysk special police early in 2001, then later disappeared. Afterwards the journalist began to receive theatening emails from a certain 'Cadet'. 'Cadet' was the nickname of Sergei Lapin, an officer of the Hanty-Mansiysk special police, and the officer who questioned Murdalov after his arrest. Lapin was later arrested, but the charges were dropped.

In September of 2004, while the tragic events in the Beslan school were taking place, Anna Politkovskaya tried to fly to Beslan. As Politkovskaya said, she was "removed from the field" so that she could not offer her plan to remedy the situation. (Struwwelpeter note: she was alleged to have been poisoned while waiting for her flight from Rostov.)

Politkovskaya worked as a commentator for Novaya Gazeta since 1999. Several times she travelled to combat zones and refugee camps in Dagestan, as well as Ingushetia and Chechnya. In addition, Politkovskaya worked in human rights: she assisted the mothers of dead soldiers in court, investigated corruption in the Russian ministry of defense and in the headquarters of the unified federal forces in Chechnya. Politkovskaya's last article in Novaya Gazeta, "Punitive agreement", described the composition and activitives of the Chechen forces, which fight on the side of federal forces.

07.10.2006 17:50

[taliesin52]

While I disagreed with her opinion of Iraq and Bush, Politkovskaya was a brilliant journalist, and a brave one. Her actions during the theater hostage took guts, and had she not been poisoned, she may have been able to solve Beslan with little or no violence.

I suppose this should be a warning to anyone who dares question Tsar Putin...

[Atlantic Bridge]

I have one once used by the East German Stasi.

After the fall of the wall Russian soldiers sold them along with their AK-47s on the German market places. It was the best time to get quite good (illegal) weapons extremely cheap. Since Germany has the most restrictive law on weapons you can think of many bought the "bankruptcy assets" of the Warsaw pact. Even really "hot" stuff like RPG-7s or Strela-3s were available if enough money was invested...

Since I am a architekt I bought some theodolites of good quality that were once used to measure in SS-20 missles. Sometimes I utilize them for more peaceful work in my job. :-)

[slonov]

Makarov is the most popular pistol in Russia - just like Kalashnikov is the most popular rifle. Check this: http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg21-e.htm

[Thunder90]

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yes, and thanks for the ping.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Russian+journalist+Anna+Politkovskaya&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US

Has some of the reports by and about her.

Reporters appear to be short lived in Russia.

[ml/nj]

Clinton and Putin seem to have a lot in common.

Including having been trained in Moscow.

ML/NJ

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thank you for your report.

Makes the world a little smaller.

[struwwelpeter]

I have no documentation of the 'special forces' pistol, unfortunately. It was just a radio blurb and a lot of ribbing from friends in the bars (if you speak two words of Russian, over there you're a spy).

So that you can see I'm not making up the story of the amazing traveling pistol, however, here's the FSB (KGB) document on it (sorry about the cheap digital camera - poorly-funded spy):



The statement reads:

Federal Security Service
of the Russian Federation
Moscow city and district directorate

From the directorate chief for investigating banditism and murder for the city of Moscow, senior justice advisor R.B. Ibragimov

In the course of performing a review of separate investigations actions, order # 229133 on 27.10.02, it has been established that sporting pistol IZH-70-18 A, caliber 9 mm, serial # YaOT 3021, 1994 date of production, was exported on 29.07.94 in crate 50 of 120 through Sheremetevo Airport (release order #1/3087 27.07.94) to the firm KBI at postal address PO BOX 634 Harrisburg PA USA in accordance with contract 1194/92-30021 on 15.06.94.

[operation clinton cleanup]

Including having been trained in Moscow.

Hillary visited Moscow also?

[familyop]

The fingers of the Russian government reach around the world--even to the USA.

Vladimir Romanov wrote "Jewish Attacks on Russian Parliamentarians Reveal Their Own Hypocrisies" for David Duke's Web site. In it, he wrote, "One of the leading Jewish supremacist-controlled publications in Russia is called MosNews."

Have you tried posting here from that publication?

[JadeEmperor]

"The Makarov was the official sidearm of the KGB and all USSR satellite countries Secret Police agencies. "

You are incorrect. The Makarov (also known as "PM") was the standard and the most widespread sidearm of the Soviet police and military in general, since the late 1950s (after it phased out Tokarev automatic pistol). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarov_PM Its not "distinctive" or "exclusive" specifically to the KGB or anyone else, especially in the ex-USSR and it is probably why it was used.

[familyop]

"An unknown man in dark clothing shot her with a pistol.
A police source reported to Interfax that a neighbor of the journalist found her body in the elevator. Police also found a discarded Makarov pistol and four empty cartridges."

...could have been a police evidence room throwaway or an organized crime hiring--or both.

[Wuli]

I wonder if she was recently working on a corruption story and if one of her sources was Andrei Koslov.

Mr. Koslov was the first deputy chairman of the Russian Central bank. He was murderd in Moscow on September 14th. He had known he was in danger for a long time because he attacked money laundering and shady financial practices by strong men in and out of government. Maybe "they" got to his records after his murder and found out who all he had been talking to. Maybe he was working with her because he thought the news exposure of what he had been uncovering would protect him, by identifying his enemies.

Just speculating today.

[MarMema]

Very good speculation.

[MarMema]

I'll try again later today. I had been refused the right to post from there about a year ago, as I recall.

[struwwelpeter]

I used to argue long and hard about the Chechen war with people who knew Politkovskaya.

I am for killing any Wahhabist (Jihadist) anywhere, anytime, with any means and to Hell with collateral damage. They would respond that I was naive if I thought the war in Chechnya had anything to do with terrorism. They claimed that it was all about money, or rather, the expropriation of government funds.

Both Newsmax (convervative) and Jametown (liberal) have come to similar conclusions.

[JadeEmperor]

"What surprised me was that the building the victim lived in must have had a *working* elevator!"

I hope the *sarcasm* tag is turned on.

[ml/nj]

Hillary visited Moscow also?

Not that I am aware of. She may have visited as a Senator, but that's not quite like Bill being "invited" while he was "at" Oxford and it was still the capital of the USSR.

ML/NJ

[SweetCaroline]

....soulless eyes..

[Wuli]

Ms. Politkosvaya's death may or may not be related to her reporting work vis-a-vis the Chechens; I have no knowledge or ideas one way or the other on that.

I just found it interesting that her death followed by just two weeks the death of Mr. Koslov. I further speculated in my mind, that from what I've read of her, if she had been getting corruption info from Koslov, she probably would not have let his death alone silence her. Just more lazy saturday speculation from me.