- Moscow police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, 55, was convicted in 2014.
Vladimir Putin has forgiven one of the killers of a prominent Kremlin critic, because the killer fought in Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.
Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, 55, a Moscow police officer, was convicted in 2014 of organizing the murder of prominent journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
She was shot dead in her apartment block on Putin’s birthday (October 7) 2006, at the age of 48.
A strong critic of the Kremlin and defender of human rights, her death was seen as a twisted “gift” to the dictator from a mastermind.
He was especially strong in his criticism of Putin’s actions in war-torn Chechnya.
His murder sparked an international outcry and was one of several shocking killings of Putin critics, another being that of former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead near the Kremlin, a death that also had links to illegal Chechnya.
Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, 55, a Moscow police officer, was convicted in 2014 of organizing the murder of prominent journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead in her apartment block on Putin’s birthday, October 7, 2006, at the age of 48.
Putin forgave the murderer because he fought in Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine
Khadzhikurbanov was one of five convicted of Politkovskaya’s murder, but the question of who planned her murder has never been resolved, although suspicions have focused on Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his top henchmen.
Putin denied ordering his assassination.
Khadzhikurbanov was not due to be released from prison until 2034, but in 2022 he was released to participate in Putin’s war.
He was quickly promoted to frontline battalion commander.
At first he “repeatedly went behind enemy lines” as an intelligence agent.
After six months, Putin pardoned him and his murder conviction was expunged.
He currently remains commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.
Politkovskaya’s family denounced the decision to release and pardon the murderer in a statement issued by their newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied ordering the murder of the prominent Kremlin critic.
Khadzhikurbanov was not due to be released from prison until 2034, but in 2022 he was released to participate in Putin’s war.
Khadzhikurbanov was quickly promoted to front-line battalion commander.
“For us, this forgiveness is not proof of the murderer’s redemption and remorse,” they said.
His work on Chechnya was continued by Natalya Estemirova, who was murdered three years later.
Putin has freed thousands of murderers, rapists and other hardened criminals to fight in Ukraine, granting them a blanket pardon if they stay alive for six months in the war.
