Russian convicted over Putin critic’s murder pardoned after fighting in Ukraine

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov who was given 20-year prison sentence Russia in 2014 for his role in assassinating the investigative journalist is now pardoned after he fought in Ukraine and remains in Russia's army. The post Russian convicted over Putin critic’s murder pardoned after fighting in Ukraine appeared first on Euromaidan Press.

Nov 15, 2023 - 06:51

Russian convicted over Putin critic’s murder pardoned after fighting in Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin has pardoned a former Russian detective convicted in the 2006 murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, following his service in Ukraine, according to his lawyer, The Guardian reports.

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, sentenced to 20 years in 2014 for organizing the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist, Putin’s critic Anna Politkovskaya, has been pardoned by Putin. His lawyer, Alexei Mikhalchik, stated that Khadzhikurbanov earned the pardon after a six-month military contract in Ukraine and remains in Russia’s armed forces.

Mikhalchik did not detail when Khadzhikurbanov enlisted to fight in Ukraine or if he first joined Prigozhin’s Wagner group, known for recruiting prisoners.

“Khadzhikurbanov participated in [the war in Ukraine] as a prisoner under his first contract,” he said, according to news channel RBC. “He was then pardoned and now participates in [the war in Ukraine] as a military man having signed a [second] contract with the defense ministry,” the lawyer added.

Khadzhikurbanov was among five individuals imprisoned for the assassination of Politkovskaya, a staunch Kremlin critic and chronicler of Russia’s Chechen wars.

Investigators never found who orchestrated Politkovskaya’s murder, a point her family has criticized. Recently, Russia’s Defense Ministry and the Wagner military company have enlisted numerous prisoners for the Ukraine war, promising freedom for six months of survival in combat, a deal requiring Putin’s personal pardon approval.

Read also:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

The post Russian convicted over Putin critic’s murder pardoned after fighting in Ukraine appeared first on Euromaidan Press.