September 18, 2025

Murderer Released or No?


Murderer Released or No?
Jail cell. The Russian Life files.

On September 13, Russian government news outlets began reporting that neo-nazi Yevgenia Khasis, convicted for the infamous murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and Novaya Gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova, was released. However, the veracity of the reports came into question after independent media found that the murderer may still be in prison.

On January 19, 2009, 34-year-old Markelov and 25-year-old Baburova were shot in central Moscow. The then-29-year-old Nikita Tikhonov and 24-year-old Evgenia Khasis were detained for the murder. The couple were part of the ultranationalist group BORN ("Fighting Organization of Russian Nationalists"). In 2011, Tikhonov was sentenced to life in prison. Khasis received an 18-year sentence, which was later reduced to 17 years. In 2015, Ilya Goryachev, another BORN leader, was also sentenced to life in prison for organizing the murders of Bubarova and Markelov, among other crimes.

Citing court documents, state-run RIA Novosti broke the news that Evgenia Khasis had been released from a Mordovian women's penal colony after 16 years in prison. The outlet said that the far-right activist was put on unsupervised probation at the end of August. TASS, another state news agency, said law enforcement confirmed her release. However, Khasis' lawyer, Alexei Pershin, told TASS that he did not know whether his client was free, but was aware that her sentence had run its course.

Mediazona, an independent media outlet, claimed that the interpretation of the court documents was erroneous. According to Russian law, the penitentiary system must file for prisoners' administrative supervision at least two months before their release. Therefore, RIA Novosti likely misinterpreted the lawsuit that the Mordavian Penal Colony filed to establish unsupervised probation for Khasis as her release from prison. Pershin told Mediazona that he found out about his client's alleged release through "Telegram channels." The newspaper estimated that the ultranationalist activist will likely be released in November 2025.

Dmitry Arganovsky, another lawyer representing Khasis, later told Mediazona and TASS that his client is still in prison. RIA Novosti later published that Khasis is still in prison, citing law enforcement.

In 2024, Khasis petitioned to be sent to Russia's war in Ukraine as a soldier.

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