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.

You Might Also Like

Economy in Crisis?
  • September 13, 2025

Economy in Crisis?

A recent report summarized the potentially perilous state of the Russian economy.
Hourly Taskmaster Rise
  • September 07, 2025

Hourly Taskmaster Rise

Russians looking to get a little extra cash on the side can become "specific assistants." And the marketplace is booming.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955