Alikhan Gulyev was shot twice in the back by an unidentified assailant while entering his apartment building in Moscow on 18 July. This was not the first attack on the journalist, a freelancer for the television station TV Tsenter and “Kommersant” newspaper. In March 2002, while living in the Russian republic of Ingushetia, unidentified assailants fired gunshots at his car. Before moving to Moscow, Gulyev had reported on political corruption in Ingushetia, and had also played a role in the disqualification of a presidential candidate in the republic’s 2002 elections.

Aleksey Sidorov, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, “Togliattinskoe Obozrenie”, was stabbed to death by two unidentified men near his home in the city of Togliatti, central Russia on 9 October. Prior to the attack, the newspaper had been investigating criminal groups connected to the largest car manufacturer in Russia, AutoVAZ. Sidorov had also been preparing a series articles on alleged incidents of theft carried out by members of the so-called ‘Volga criminal group’. Investigating authorities are reportedly considering Sidorov’s journalistic activities to have been a primary motive for his murder.

Dmitri Shvets, co-owner and managing director of the TV-21 station in Murmansk, was shot and killed while exiting his car in front of the station’s office on 18 April. An unidentified assailant fled the scene after firing 3 shots, leaving the gun behind. The motive for his murder has not yet been determined. TV-21 had recently broadcast criticism of the Murmansk municipal government and of candidates for the 2004 municipal elections. In addition to his work at TV-21,Shvets was a prominent businessman who owned shops and a night club in the city. He was also a political advisor to Regional Governor Yuri Evdokimov. Local authorities are launching an investigation into the murder.