Flowers and memorial posters were brought to Politkovskaya's house on the 20th anniversary of her murder.

An impromptu memorial appeared in Moscow at the house where journalist Anna Politkovskaya lived, on the 20th anniversary of her murder. People who brought flowers said they came to show respect for Politkovskaya's memory and demonstrate journalistic solidarity.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on the 20th anniversary of journalist Anna Politkovskaya's murder, memorial events took place in Moscow near the house where she lived and was shot. Police were on duty nearby, called by dissatisfied residents. Some of those convicted in Politkovskaya's murder case have already been released, and the customer has not yet been convicted, colleagues of the murdered journalist reminded a year earlier.

On October 7, on the 20th anniversary of journalist Anna Politkovskaya's murder, an impromptu memorial arose at the entrance of the building on Lesnaya Street in Moscow, where she lived and was killed.

Initially, it included a memorial plaque installed by "Yabloko" activists stating "In this house lived and worked journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Killed on October 7, 2026" and a photograph of the journalist with a QR code link to a website dedicated to Politkovskaya placed in the corner.

Later, a mini-poster was added saying "In this house lived Anna Politkovskaya 20 years ago", and a watercolor portrait of Politkovskaya with the inscription "Here lived Anna Politkovskaya. 20 years after her murder, the customers have still not been found" and a link to a website dedicated to the journalist.

The correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" observed how people approached the memorial for several hours – both individuals and entire groups (the largest was a company of eight boys and girls). Some simply photographed the memorial, while others laid flowers (one girl laid white carnations, as red ones, she told her friends, had run out at the nearest flower shop). One young man brought a green apple.

Those who came to the memorial spoke differently about their motives. One of the girls who brought flowers stated that she did so because she "respects" A. Politkovskaya very much. Another said she was a journalist and came "in journalistic solidarity". Young people stated that they simply "wanted" to lay flowers.

13:01 14.11.2023

Convicted for Politkovskaya's murder released after participating in the SVO

Former security officer Sergey Khadzhikurbanov, sentenced in 2014 to 20 years in prison for involvement in the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, was released early after participating in combat operations in Ukraine, his former lawyer reported.

Press secretary of "Novaya Gazeta" (listed as a foreign agent) Nadezhda Prusenkova commented to "Caucasian Knot" that the situation with the plaque "should be resolved by the residents of the house". She also stated that the editorial office currently has no information about the whereabouts of one of the organizers of the murder - Sergey Khadzhikurbanov, released from prison and sent to the SVO zone.

Recall that on January 18, the memorial plaque that had hung for almost 20 years on the wall of the house on Lesnaya Street in Moscow, where Anna Politkovskaya lived and was shot, was broken for the first time. Most of the temporary plaques installed by activists after this lasted less than a day. By March 19, in addition to the memorial plaque, 30 temporary plaques had been installed.

03:34 17.02.2026

Attacks on Politkovskaya's memory marked the boundaries of civil expressions

Any civil expression, whether a plaque in memory of Anna Politkovskaya or a sign of the "Last Address" of a victim of Stalinist repressions, provokes active aggression from supporters of the authorities in Russia. Impunity encourages spontaneous acts of vandalism, committed even without direct orders from above.

All plaques repeated the original text from the broken memorial plaque: "In this house lived and was villainously killed on October 7, 2006, Anna Politkovskaya". Representatives of an ultra-right organization recognized as terrorist claimed responsibility for the destruction of the first plaque. The man who broke the memorial plaque was fined 1000 rubles, while he denied guilt, claiming that the plaque "fell and broke by itself".

In January, one of the residents of the house admitted that she destroyed the temporary plaque. "Yes, I break it! Who allowed you to hang it? She didn't live here, she had a secret apartment! This is my house! I didn't give permission!" - she said. At the same time, the woman noted that she did not break the original memorial plaque, but the plaque "always bothered her".

On the fifth anniversary of Politkovskaya's murder, journalists and human rights activists at an event in Tbilisi emphasized her contribution to the fight for freedom of speech, demanding to name the customers of her murder.

"Caucasian Knot" publishes materials dedicated to Politkovskaya on the thematic page "Politkovskaya and Estemirova", which collects materials about Anna's friend, journalist and human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, who was killed in 2009 and also dealt with the problems of Chechen residents.