Nadezhda Chaikova

Obshchaya Gazeta

March 30, 1996, in Gehki, Russia

Chaikova, a correspondent for the Russian weekly Obshchaya Gazeta who was known for her exposés of Russian military atrocities and close contacts with the Chechen rebels, was fatally shot, execution-style. Her body was discovered March 30 outside the Chechen village of Gehki. Chaikova was known to have filmed the destroyed village of Samashki, leveled in an attack by Russian federal troops. While Russian federal troops are suspected in her death, the killing may have been ordered by Chechen fighters acting on rumors spread by Russian secret police that she was a spy.

Medium: Print

Job: Print Reporter

Beats Covered: War

Gender: Female

Local or Foreign: Local

Freelance: No

Type of Death: Murder

Suspected Source of Fire: Military Officials

Impunity: Yes

Taken Captive: No

Tortured: No

Threatened: No