Putin pardons killer who shot dead prominent Kremlin critic on Vladimir’s birthday ‘as a warped gift for him’

• Moscow police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, 55, was convicted in 2014

Vladimir Putin has pardoned one of the killers of a leading Kremlin critic – because the murderer fought in Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, 55, a Moscow police officer, was convicted in 2014 of organising the murder of prominent journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

She was shot dead in her apartment block on Putin’s birthday – 7 October – in 2006, aged 48.

A strong Kremlin critic and human rights campaigner, her death was seen as a warped ‘gift’ for the dictator from a mastermind.

She was especially strong in her criticisms of Putin’s actions in war-ravaged Chechnya.

Her killing provoked an international outcry and was one of several shocking murders of Putin critics, another being former deputy premier Boris Nemtsov who was gunned down near the Kremlin, a death which also had links to lawless Chechnya.

Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, 55, a Moscow police officer, was convicted in 2014 of organising the murder of prominent journalist Anna Politkovskaya

Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead in her apartment block on Putin’s birthday – 7 October – in 2006, aged 48

Putin pardoned the killer because he fought in Russia ‘s illegal war against Ukraine

Khadzhikurbanov was one of five convicted of Politkovskaya’s killing, but the question of who masterminded her murder has never been solved, although suspicions have focused on Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his senior henchmen.

Putin denied ordering her killing.

Khadzhikurbanov was not due to leave prison until the year 2034, but in 2022 was freed from jail to take part in Putin’s war.

He was rapidly promoted to become a frontline battalion commander.

Initially he ‘repeatedly went behind enemy lines’ as an intelligence operative.

After six months, he was pardoned by Putin, and his murder conviction was expunged.

He currently remains as a commander with Russian forces in Ukraine.

Politkovskaya’s family denounced the decision to release and pardon the killer in a statement issued by her newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied ordering the killing of the prominent Kremlin critic

Khadzhikurbanov was not due to leave prison until the year 2034, but in 2022 was freed from jail to take part in Putin’s war

Khadzhikurbanov was rapidly promoted to become a frontline battalion commander

‘For us, this pardon is not evidence of the redemption and remorse of the murderer,’ they said.

Her work on Chechnya was continued by Natalya Estemirova who was murdered three years later.

Putin has released thousands of murderers, rapists and other hardened criminals to fight in Ukraine, giving them a blanket pardon if they stay alive for six months in his meat-grinder war.

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