# Investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya is shot dead in Moscow; a former police officer is later convicted of organizing the killing

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: historical, as of 2026-09-22.

Anna Politkovskaya, a Novaya Gazeta journalist known for reporting critical of Russia's conduct of the war in Chechnya, was shot dead in her Moscow apartment building; a Moscow court later convicted a former police officer of organizing surveillance for her killers.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

- Country: [Russia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/ru) (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)
- Where: Russia
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Detention and violence
- Stage: Eliminate (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/detention_and_violence#stage-eliminate)
- Ladder note: Who ordered the killing was never conclusively established in court.
- Head of government at the time: [Vladimir Putin](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/vladimir-putin)
- Issue of the day: Politkovskaya's investigative reporting on human-rights abuses in Chechnya and her criticism of the Russian government's conduct there.
- Outcome: Upheld by a court, June 9, 2014. Courts convicted and sentenced five men, including former police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, for organizing or carrying out the killing; who ordered it was never conclusively established in court.
- Era: The 2000s

## What happened

Anna Politkovskaya, a reporter for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, was known for reporting on human-rights abuses during Russia's war in Chechnya, a mostly Muslim region in Russia's North Caucasus, and for criticism of President Vladimir Putin's government. On October 7, 2006, Putin's birthday, she was shot dead in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building. Investigators eventually charged several men, including Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, reported as a former police officer, and, later, Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, a former officer in a Moscow police surveillance unit, who pleaded guilty in 2012 to tracking Politkovskaya's movements and supplying the gun used to kill her. A Moscow court sentenced Pavlyuchenkov to 11 years in exchange for his cooperation; he told the court, "I want to appeal to the family of Anna Stepanovna; I simply want to ask for their human forgiveness." Five men were eventually convicted; who ordered the killing was never conclusively established in court. The Kremlin did not immediately comment on her death.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

## What reason was given

No government body said it was responsible or offered a public justification; investigators built their case around the men convicted of organizing and carrying out the killing, including a former police surveillance officer, without conclusively naming who ordered it.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

## What changed for reporting

The Russian Union of Journalists' Igor Yakovenko called it "clearly a contract killing," and the International Federation of Journalists said it "reflects on the state of lawlessness that is threatening to overwhelm the whole of Russian journalism."[2][3]

## Timeline

- 2006-10-07: Investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya is shot dead in Moscow; a former police officer is later convicted of organizing the killing

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Anna Politkovskaya](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/anna-politkovskaya) | other | Journalist, Novaya Gazeta |
| [Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/dmitry-pavlyuchenkov) | other | Former officer, Moscow police surveillance unit |
| [Vladimir Putin](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/vladimir-putin) | other | President of Russia |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Novaya Gazeta](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/novaya-gazeta) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Russia: Prominent Journalist, Kremlin Critic, Shot Dead In Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/1071874.html (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2006-10-07).
2. Russia charges journalist 'killers'. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/11/17/russia-charges-journalist-killers (Al Jazeera, 2008-11-17).
3. Ex-Policeman Gets 11 Years Over Politkovskaya Murder. https://www.rferl.org/a/politkovskaya-russia-murder-policeman-11-years/24798543.html (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2012-12-16).

## Claims cited

[1] Politkovskaya, known for critical reporting on Chechnya, was shot dead in her Moscow apartment building. Quote: "Anna Politkovskaya, a prominent Russian journalist known for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya, has been shot dead in her apartment building in Moscow." Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2006-10-07. Russia: Prominent Journalist, Kremlin Critic, Shot Dead In Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/1071874.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/263, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] The head of the Russian Union of Journalists said the killing was clearly a contract killing. Quote: "It's clearly a contract killing -- that can be seen from the circumstances" Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2006-10-07. Russia: Prominent Journalist, Kremlin Critic, Shot Dead In Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/1071874.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/264, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The International Federation of Journalists said the killing reflected a state of lawlessness threatening Russian journalism. Quote: "it reflects on the state of lawlessness that is threatening to overwhelm the whole of Russian journalism" Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2006-10-07. Russia: Prominent Journalist, Kremlin Critic, Shot Dead In Moscow. https://www.rferl.org/a/1071874.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/265, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] One of the men charged in the case, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, was a former police officer. Quote: "Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, one of the suspects, is a former police officer." Source: Al Jazeera, 2008-11-17. Russia charges journalist 'killers'. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/11/17/russia-charges-journalist-killers Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/266, checked 2026-09-22.

[5] A Moscow court found former police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov guilty of tracking Politkovskaya and supplying the gun. Quote: "A Moscow court found Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov guilty of tracking Politkovskaya's movements and providing the killer with a gun." Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2012-12-16. Ex-Policeman Gets 11 Years Over Politkovskaya Murder. https://www.rferl.org/a/politkovskaya-russia-murder-policeman-11-years/24798543.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/267, checked 2026-09-22.

[6] Pavlyuchenkov asked Politkovskaya's family for forgiveness at his sentencing. Quote: "I want to appeal to the family of Anna Stepanovna [Politkovskaya]; I simply want to ask for their human forgiveness." Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 2012-12-16. Ex-Policeman Gets 11 Years Over Politkovskaya Murder. https://www.rferl.org/a/politkovskaya-russia-murder-policeman-11-years/24798543.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/268, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2006-russia-politkovskaya-killed. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.