The spontaneous memorial was destroyed at Politkovskaya's house.

Unknown individuals tore down the temporary memorial plaque at the house where journalist Anna Politkovskaya lived and was killed; posters and flowers also disappeared.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on the 20th anniversary of journalist Anna Politkovskaya's murder, commemorative events took place in Moscow near the house where she lived and was shot. Police were on duty nearby, called by dissatisfied residents. People who brought flowers said they came to show respect for Politkovskaya's memory and demonstrate journalistic solidarity.

The plaque in memory of Anna Politkovskaya, installed by the leader of "Yabloko" Nikolai Ryabakov on the 20th anniversary of her murder at the house on Lesnaya Street, was torn down, reports "Slovo Zashchity".

According to photographs attached in the Telegram channel of the project, most of the flowers and other posters and drawings dedicated to the journalist's murder and the demand to hold those responsible accountable are also missing.

Recall that on January 18, the memorial plaque, which had hung for almost 20 years on the wall of the house on Lesnaya Street in Moscow, where Anna Politkovskaya lived and was shot, was broken for the first time. Most of the temporary plaques installed by activists after that lasted less than a day. By March 19, in addition to the memorial plaque, 30 temporary plaques had been installed.

03:34 17.02.2026

Attacks on Politkovskaya's Memory Marked the Boundaries of Civil Statements

Any civil statement, whether a plaque in memory of Anna Politkovskaya or a sign of the "Last Address" of a victim of Stalinist repressions, provokes active aggression from supporters of the authorities in Russia. Impunity encourages spontaneous acts of vandalism, committed even without direct orders from above.

All plaques repeated the original text from the broken memorial plaque: "In this house lived and was villainously killed on October 7, 2006, Anna Politkovskaya". Representatives of an ultra-right organization recognized as terrorist claimed responsibility for the destruction of the first plaque. The man who broke the memorial plaque was fined 1000 rubles, while he denied guilt, claiming that the plaque "fell and broke by itself".

In January, one of the residents of the house admitted that she destroyed the temporary plaque. "Yes, I break it! Who gave you permission to hang it? She didn't live here; she had a secret apartment! This is my house! I didn't give permission!" - she said. At the same time, the woman noted that she did not break the original memorial plaque, but the plaque "always bothered her".

On the fifth anniversary of Politkovskaya's murder, journalists and human rights defenders at an event in Tbilisi emphasized her contribution to the fight for freedom of speech, demanding to name the customers of her murder.

"Caucasian Knot" publishes materials dedicated to Politkovskaya on the thematic page "Politkovskaya and Estemirova", which collects materials about Anna's friend, journalist and human rights defender Natalya Estemirova, who was killed in 2009 and also dealt with the problems of Chechen residents.