Press Release, 27.01.2026

Photo: Nikolai Rybakov and Ivan Dorofeyev / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Yabloko party Chairman Nikolai Rybakov, together with Ivan Dorofeyev, a member of the Regional Council of Moscow Yabloko, installed a memorial plaque today, 27 January, in memory of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was murdered 20 years ago. The wooden plaque has been attached not to the building’s façade, but to the railings at the entrance to the stairwell. Previously, a stone memorial plaque installed on the façade in 2013 was smashed by vandals.

“The idea of restoring the memorial plaque occurred to us immediately after it was removed. It is heartening that there turned out to be a great many such proactive people,” noted Nikolai Rybakov.

As a reminder, Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya lived and was murdered at building 8/12 on Lesnaya Street on 7 October 2006. The memorial plaque in memory of the journalist was installed in 2013. Every year, members of the Yabloko party, journalists and human rights defenders come to this building on 7 October in Moscow to honour Politkovskaya’s memory.

On 18 January 2026, the memorial plaque was smashed by vandals. Following the destruction of the memorial sign, Nikolai Rybakov appealed to the heads of the Moscow interior demanding that those responsible be found and brought to justice.

A Moscow court established that the memorial plaque had been smashed by Alexander Filippov; he was fined 1,000 roubles (approximately USD 13) under an administrative case for petty hooliganism. However, Novaya Gazeta stated that “not just one person was involved in this and similar crimes, but a group of individuals with clearly neo-Nazi views”.

On 19 January 2026, a day after the destruction of the plaque, it was reported that neo-Nazis from a terrorist organisation recognised as banned in Russia had acknowledged their involvement in what had happened. Thus, according to their own words, they paid “tribute to their glorious predecessors” from the BORN organisation, which was responsible for the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, as well as for a number of high-profile killings on nationalistic grounds.

Moscow activists restored the plaque on their own initiative several more times, but each time someone tore the memorial signs off Politkovskaya’s house. Neither the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the press service of the Moscow courts has published any information about who has been involved in the regular removal of Politkovskaya’s memorial plaques.