Support The Moscow Times!

Russia's Top Cop Becomes Member of Writers' Union

Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin

The head of Russia's Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has become a member of the country's Union of Writers, the Committee’s press service said in a statement Thursday.

Bastrykin is the author of the books “Fingerprinting. Signs of hands” and “The Murder of S.M. Kirov.” He has also written books dedicated to the Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and former deputy speaker of Russia's State Duma Lyudmila Shvetsova.

Bastrykin thanked the chairman of the Writers' Union Valery Ganichev for his acceptance into the organization and noted that he sees membership in the Union as “an advance that will oblige him to continue his writing activity,” the statement said.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss 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