Anna Politkovskaya

Anna Politkovskaya was a special correspondent for the Russian newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" and played a significant role as a negotiator during the Nord-Ost theater siege. She was considered by many as the "lost moral conscience of Russia," and her fight for human rights, often at the risk of her own life, earned her numerous international honors. Tragically confirming her denunciations, she was murdered in October 2006 in front of her apartment in Moscow—allegedly by members of the regime she vehemently criticized—at the age of 47. Below are some excerpts from her book, "Putin's Russia" (2004, Greek edition Omega/Oxy, 2005): "I have thought a lot about why I have taken such a strong stance against Putin. What makes me dislike him so much that I felt the need to write a book about him? I am neither his opponent nor his competitor; I am just a woman living in Russia. Quite simply, I am a 45-year-old Muscovite who witnessed the Soviet Union at its worst during the 1970s and 1980s. I really do not want to go back there. [...] The return of the Soviet system with the consolidation of Putin's power is evident. We must say that this was not allowed only by our own indifference, apathy, and fatigue after so many revolutionary changes. It also happened with the blessings of the West, mainly Silvio Berlusconi, who seems to have fallen in love with Putin. He is Putin's main European supporter, enjoying the support of Blair, Schröder, and Chirac, without any disapproval from the transatlantic Bush junior. Thus, nothing stood in the way of the return of the KGB agent to the Kremlin, neither the West nor any serious resistance in Russia. [...] Without any resistance, Putin naturally became bolder. It is a big mistake to believe that he notices nothing, that he never reacts, and that, as we are led to believe, he only moves full steam ahead to seize power. He pays great attention and takes into account what he sees. He watches us closely, the nation he controls. [...] July 10th is just another day on Russia's calendar. It happened to be the day I stopped making changes to this book. Late yesterday afternoon, Paul Klebnikov, the editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of "Forbes Magazine," was murdered in Moscow. He was gunned down as he was leaving the magazine's offices. Yesterday afternoon, Viktor Cherepkov was also blown up by a grenade in Vladivostok. He was a member of our parliament, the Duma, and a well-known advocate for the poor and weak of this country. Cherepkov had run for mayor in his hometown, Vladivostok, the most important city in Russia's Far East. He had successfully passed to the second round and seemed to have significant chances of being elected. As he was leaving his electoral district office, he was blown up by a mine triggered by a tripwire. [...]"