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Listyev Murder Still Unsolved 15 Years On

Vladislav Listyev with his wife Albina Nazimova in 1995. For MT

The statute of limitations expired Monday on the high-profile murder of Vladislav Listyev, the first head of the ORT television channel who was shot dead at an apartment building in central Moscow on March 1, 1995.

After 15 years, the investigators haven't uncovered any leads to the killers or those who might have orchestrated the killing.

Listyev was murdered 33 days after his appointment as the director of ORT, which has since become state-controlled Channel One, headed by Konstantin Ernst.

The case was suspended in April 2009, though an unidentified source told Interfax on Monday that "the investigative work hasn't ever halted — even for a day." But there is no evidence that can prompt a renewal of a full-scale investigation, the source said.

Investigators assume that the killing was linked to Listyev’s professional activities, but no suspects have been named yet.

"The investigation is ongoing," Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee, said in televised remarks Sunday.

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