October 11, 2023

Russia Remembers Anna Politovskaya on Putin's Birthday


Russia Remembers Anna Politovskaya on Putin's Birthday
A girl leaves flowers at journalist Anna Politkovskaya's home, where she was murdered. SOTAvision, Telegram.

In 2006, on Russian President Vladimir Putin's birthday, Anna Politkovskaya, a renowned journalist for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, was murdered. This year, on Putin's birthday, October 7, Russians across the country laid flowers to commemorate the seventeenth anniversary of Politkovskaya's assassination.

Politkovskaya was born Anna Mazepa to Ukrainian Soviet diplomats who were in New York City. At a young age, her parents relocated to Moscow, where she studied journalism at Moscow State University. She married fellow student and Vzglyad TV host Andrey Politkovsky. At first, Politkovskaya worked for the state newspaper Izvestya, covering accidents and emergencies. Then, at Obychnaya Gazeta, Politkovskaya began investigating corruption.

Politkovskaya's most notable work was her coverage of Chechnya for Novaya Gazeta. She exposed corruption in the Ministry of Defense and recorded human rights violations by Russian troops and the government in Chechnya. She openly criticized the FSB and President Vladimir Putin. Notably, Politkovskaya helped women and children trapped in the Moscow Theater Siege have access to water. She was poisoned on an Aeroflot plane while traveling to be a mediator in the Beslan school hostage crisis in 2004.

On Putin's birthday in 2006, Politkovskaya was murdered inside an elevator on her way back from the grocery store. No one was ever punished for her assassination.

In Kazan, residents laid flowers at the monument for victims of political repression next to pictures of Politkovskaya and dissident journalist Irina Slavina, who died by self-immolation. A Saratov resident and two Kirovians protested with portraits of murdered and imprisoned journalists. Ulyanovsk authorities explicitly banned any demonstrations for the late journalist. Muscovites laid flowers near Politkovskaya's home and former headquarters of Novaya Gazeta.

In St. Petersburg, residents left flowers on the local Solovetsky Stone, alongside a picture of Politovskaya with the inscription: "The killer is still killing."

You Might Also Like

Integration through Education?
  • October 08, 2023

Integration through Education?

Russian President Putin stressed the importance of education in regions newly annexed from Ukraine. But is there a more sinister motive at play?
One Country, Two Wars
  • September 16, 2023

One Country, Two Wars

The Kremlin is currently conducting not one, but two horrific wars.
Dance Floor Dissent
  • May 26, 2023

Dance Floor Dissent

A video of people singing pro-Ukraine lyrics prompted government intervention.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

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