The Woman Who Wouldn’t Look Away

Anna Politkovskaya

Anna Politkovskaya was a mother, a journalist, and a quiet, determined woman who believed in truth. She wasn’t seeking fame or power - just reporting for a small Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. But when the Chechen Wars broke out, she traveled into war zones most journalists avoided.

She reported war crimes, torture, and mass civilian killings - not just by terrorists, but by the Russian military and government. She exposed what the Kremlin tried to hide, and refused to soften the truth. She received death threats, was poisoned once, and was under constant surveillance.

In 2006, she was shot and killed in her apartment building - likely a political assassination. She was 48 years old.

Anna wasn’t a revolutionary. She was a truth-teller in a regime built on lies. Her murder sent a chilling message to journalists everywhere: Tell the truth, and you may no live to see it published.

Today, as authoritarianism rises and press freedom erodes in countries worldwide, her courage reminds us:

Democracy dies in silence - and journalism is often the first target.

“What matters is the information, not what you think about it.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Anna Politkovskaya, here are some more resources:

• Putin’s Russia: Life in a Failing Democracy, by Anna Politkovskaya

• A Dirty War, by Anna Politkovskaya

• A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya, but Anna Politskivskaya, Georgia M. Derluguian

• A Russian Diary: A Journalist’s Final Account of Life, Corruption & Death in Putin’s Russia, by Anna Politkovskaya

Ⓒ September 2025. Beki Lantos. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission of the author.