Anna Politkovskaya

Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya was born in 1958 in New York City, where her Soviet Ukrainian parents were diplomats. She graduated from Moscow State University's journalism faculty in 1980 and began her career in newspapers. By the late 1990s, she was a prominent reporter for the liberal opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, where she focused on human rights abuses and corruption.

On October 7, 2006, a Saturday, Politkovskaya returned to her apartment building on Lesnaya Street in central Moscow. She was shot four times at close range in the building's elevator. Her body was found there by a neighbor. A Makarov pistol was left at the scene. She was 48 years old.

Politkovskaya's killing occurred during the Second Chechen War, a conflict that began in 1999. She had authored hundreds of articles and several books documenting alleged atrocities by Russian federal forces and their Chechen allies against civilians. Her reporting was sharply critical of the Kremlin's conduct of the war and the administration of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

The murder prompted international condemnation. The Committee to Protect Journalists stated her death was directly connected to her work. In Russia, Novaya Gazeta vowed to continue her investigations. A lengthy and complex legal process followed, resulting in the conviction of several individuals for carrying out the murder. However, the identity of the person who ordered the killing, according to prosecutors and the European Court of Human Rights, remained officially unresolved.

Politkovskaya is remembered as a symbol of investigative journalism under severe pressure. Her work, particularly the book 'A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya,' remains a primary source on the conflict. Novaya Gazeta established an award in her name, and her death is frequently cited in reports on the dangers faced by journalists in Russia.

Anna Politkovskaya was killed during the Second Chechen War (1999–2009). The large-scale conflict concluded in April 2009. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Orlando Sierra Hernandez, Paul Klebnikov, Musa Khan Khel, Wali Khan Babar.

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