Support The Moscow Times!

Politkovskaya Daughter Saw Strangers

Investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya saw suspicious strangers near her home in the weeks before she was killed, her daughter testified Thursday at the trial of three men accused of helping set up her shooting.

She and her brother also said their mother had been threatened repeatedly.

Politkovskaya was gunned down in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building after returning from a supermarket on Oct. 7, 2006.

Politkovskaya's grown children ?€” Vera Politkovskaya and Ilya Politkovsky ?€” testified Thursday for the first time in the trial. They have said the case is compromised by the fact that the purported triggerman is not on trial and the suspected mastermind is not known.

Vera Politkovskaya told the Moscow Military District Court that she had moved in with her mother a week before she was killed and had seen suspicious-looking people hanging around the building.

Prosecutors told the jury that the defendants ?€” former Moscow police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and brothers Ibragim and Dzhabrail Makhmudov ?€” had cased the building to prepare for the crime.

Prosecutors say Khadzhikurbanov organized the killing, while one of the brothers followed Politkovskaya on the day and the other served as a lookout near the building.

Prosecutors say the suspected killer ?€” another Makhmudov brother, Rustam ?€” has fled the country.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more