On April 7, around 7:30 PM, editor-in-chief and Nobel Prize winner Dmitri Muratov boarded the train for Samara at Moscow’s Kazanski station, which was scheduled to leave at 8:08 PM. There is no one on the platform and the train is almost empty. Just before departure, a man enters carriage 2. He tells the guard that he will be in seat 14 for the passenger (Muratov’s seat). The man is carrying a plastic bottle of red paint, oil paint mixed with acetone, judging by the smell. “Muratov, this is for the boys!” and he tosses the paint over him, then gets off the train unimpeded and throws the bottle away as soon as Muratov comes after him.
Doctors later identify chemical burns in Muratov’s eyes. He nevertheless manages to see the attacker’s face and remembers what it looks like. An accomplice filmed the attack through the window. Muratov sees this and films the man with his phone, who then quickly puts his hand in front of his face. Video footage confirms that police stopped one of the attackers for passport control, with Muratov telling police that the person in question had just taken part in the attack.
‘Harness’
Less than an hour later, a video of the crime appeared on the Telegram Channel of the Union of Russian Airborne Forces, with the comment: “As promised, in the near future our veterans will show the ‘great patriots’ that the bleeding of our Glorious Sons is not will be tolerated. You scum, you know those filthy Ukrainians made up the ‘Buchya tragedy’ and you support this lie, but you don’t see our boys getting their throats cut! We’ll get you all, just wait!’
Given the number of cameras, the presence of eyewitnesses, the video leaked by the criminals themselves and the fact that the description of the attacker is known, you would expect a quick arrest. But we are used to the fact that the police are not very enthusiastic about looking for people who attack journalists.
The abusers of Yelena Milashina, Yelena Kostyuchenko, Diana Khachatrian, Izolda Drobina, Arden Arkman have never been prosecuted; the people who attacked Yulia Latynina and Sergei Sokolov several times, who attacked the office of Novaja Gazeta with a dangerous chemical, making death threats against Denis Korotkov and Tatyana Lichanova. And then we haven’t even mentioned the originators of the murders of our colleagues Yuri Shchekochichin and Anna Politkovskaya.
No official announcements
And now no investigation has been launched. In addition, in violation of the rules of the Ministry of Police, no crime scene investigation was conducted and no paint or clothing samples were taken.
On April 8, the ministry reported that a 38-year-old Moscow resident had been arrested. After that, the police made no further official announcements. Yet . has bazaa news medium with contacts within the security services, already a day after the attack, the names of both suspected perpetrators: the detained Ilya Markovets and Nikolai Trifonov (41), who has fled.
Based on the information we have, it is very likely that Markovets – if he is actually arrested – is the one who filmed the action, but that the actual perpetrator is still at large. Dmitri Muratov has definitely identified Nikolai Trifonov as the perpetrator, based on photos and videos from public sources. Trifonov was born in Chirchik, Uzbekistan. He has a residence permit in the Kursk region, in Lgov. Trifonov has long been a student at Moscow State University. During that time he developed nationalistic ideas and befriended far-right people. In 2008, Trifonov took part in an event of the Kremling-minded youth movement ‘Nashi, as a member of the Airborne Forces Delegation. Within three years he was elected to the Central Council of the Union of Russian Airborne Troops. He’s in a photo with the Commander in Chief.
Great public danger
Less than a day after the attack, without the resources of the security services and in a completely legal way, we had the information about the suspected perpetrators on the table. Wouldn’t law enforcement agencies be able to do that? The police do succeed in immediately finding people who share pacifist texts or cross out the letter Z and bring them to justice. Let’s not forget what the boastful commentary accompanying the video announces: This action is not the last and Dmitri Muratov is not the only target. This poses a major public danger and the longer these criminals go unpunished, the greater that danger.
All this raises important questions. How exactly did the attackers gain access to Russian Railways data? They knew in which train and in which compartment their target was, while only authorized agents are allowed to consult that database. There are also questions about the security of the station. The chemical paint used falls under the category of ‘hazardous substances’, which are normally confiscated at the entrance. Another question: how could the countless security guards at the station have missed the cynical attack right under their cameras, endangering passengers and disrupting the timetable?
Novaja demands that the police open an official, high-quality investigation and arrest all persons involved in this crime.
Translation: Leo Reijnen
Collaboration with Eeuropean newspapers
After nearly thirty years of independent journalism, the Russian opposition newspaper Novaja Gazeta close its doors at the end of March. The newspaper fell victim to the censorship imposed by the Kremlin after the attack on Ukraine. Emigrated journalists from theNovaja have started a new newspaper: Novaya Gazeta. Europe† On the occasion of 9 May, the day on which Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany, they are arguing here for another victory: that of free speech. De Volkskrant supports the Russian initiative, as do many other European newspapers that turned their pages to stories from Novaja Gazeta†