Anna Politkovskaya Foresaw Putin’s Authoritarian Russia, Editor Says on 20th Anniversary of Murder

Assassinated Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead outside her Moscow apartment in 2006, had foreseen Russia’s descent under Vladimir Putin’s rule, her former editor said ahead of the 20th anniversary of her death.

Politkovskaya reported courageously on the Chechen conflict and Putin’s ascent, cautioning against his authoritarian tendencies while Western leaders welcomed and courted the Russian leader.

She was killed in the elevator of her central Moscow residence on October 7, 2006—coincidentally, Putin’s 54th birthday.

Her murder became a watershed moment for Russian media.

Twenty years later, Putin remains in power, Russia’s war in Ukraine—which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives—enters its fifth year, and domestic repression echoes Soviet-era levels.

“Everything we see unfolding in Russia today was foreseen by Anna Politkovskaya in the books she wrote before her death,” said Sergei Sokolov, her longtime editor at Novaya Gazeta.

The Russian government has branded Novaya Gazeta a “foreign agent.”

“Back then, no one listened—people dismissed her warnings as exaggerations,” Sokolov recalled.

As Western nations embraced Putin in the early 2000s—a strongman cautiously celebrated after years of instability—Politkovskaya warned that Russian journalists would face a stark choice: “complete submission to Putin” or risk imprisonment or death.

She described Russia as “plunging back into a Soviet abyss.”

The assassins are serving sentences—but the masterminds behind the killing have never been identified.

When questioned in 2021, Putin claimed security services had done “everything possible” to solve the case.

“Nothing Could Sway Her”

In death, Politkovskaya has become an even greater symbol for Russian journalists—many of whom she never met but who continue her work from exile.

Amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, her coverage from both sides during the Chechen conflicts has gained renewed significance.

She documented war crimes by Russian forces and Chechen separatists alike and consistently pressed both sides to protect civilians.

In 2002, she entered a Moscow theater seized by Chechen militants in an attempt to negotiate the release of hostages.

“The terrorists specifically requested me to speak with them—I couldn’t turn my back on that responsibility,” she said afterward.

Over 130 hostages perished when Russian special forces used toxic gas and stormed the building.

“What defined her was her unwavering resolve—nothing could make her stray from the truth she was pursuing,” Sokolov reflected.

That tradition of independent journalism now faces near-extinction.

Decades of Kremlin pressure have culminated in censorship reminiscent of the Soviet Union.

Sokolov was adamant that, had she lived, Politkovskaya “would have spoken out, without hesitation.”

In her final years, Politkovskaya grew increasingly critical of Ramzan Kadyrov, who was rising as Chechnya’s future strongman.

She referred to him as a “little dragon” and accused him of being allowed unchecked authority to govern brutally in exchange for loyalty to Moscow.

Kadyrov responded by calling her an “enemy of the Chechen people,” vowing she would “face consequences” for her criticism.

An Enduring Icon

Though her name has been largely scrubbed from Russia’s state-controlled narrative, Politkovskaya remains a beacon for independent journalists—even as her story serves as a stark warning of the risks inherent in the profession.

“Courage must have an example. Had there been no precedent of fearless journalists, and if everyone simply looked away, Russian journalism would be in far worse condition,” said 28-year-old exiled reporter Yegor Feoktistov.

“Her story constantly reminds us of the cost—but it also emboldens us.”

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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