February 02, 2026

Vandalism at a Murder Site


Vandalism at a Murder Site
Grief won’t bring back those who were killed. The Russian Life files

In recent months, a memorial plaque for murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya has been torn down numerous times, only to be replaced by activists.

The first incident took place on January 18, when the original plaque to Politkovskaya was destroyed. The court found a certain Alexander Filippov guilty and fined him R1,000 (about $13). 

The day after the plaque was destroyed, activists installed a new, temporary one made of foam board, but it too was soon torn down by unknown persons. The situation began to repeat itself over and over again; responsibility for the destruction was claimed by both residents of the building and neo-Nazi groups.

On January 27, the Telegram channel “Ostrozhno, novosti” reported that the plaque had been torn down for a seventh time. According to state-run newspaper Kommersant, representatives of the Yabloko party intend to join the fight for the plaque and have already put up a new one.

"While the existence of this plaque did not bother many people for many years, today its destruction persistently brings back into the public eye the very fact of the murder that took place in the elevator of this building,” said Alexander Politkovsky, husband of the journalist.

Politkovskaya wrote about crimes in Chechnya for Novaya Gazeta and the investigation into her murder concluded that the motive was grounded in her professional activities. A stone plaque was installed on her apartment building's façade on the first anniversary of the tragedy, in 2007. 

Today, nearly 20 years after her murder, the memory of the crime has become a battleground between two irreconcilable political camps, and it is unfolding at 8 Lesnaya Street in Moscow. Notably, one of the accomplices to the crime, former police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, was freed from prison to participate in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was not only pardoned, but received an order for bravery in 2023.

You Might Also Like

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

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. 

White Magic
June 01, 2021

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.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

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 Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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