Three years ago, I fled Russia because of death threats I received due to my work as a journalist for the last liberal radio station in Russia, Echo of Moscow. The threats came shortly after Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov announced open season on journalists in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris. 700,000 people rallied in Grozny at his summons, in support of Islam and condemning the murdered journalists. On his Instagram account—which was ultimately shut down—he first threatened former Yukos owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, then Echo’s editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov, and soon all of Echo’s journalists.
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Karina Orlova: Russia shows us where political violence leads
The full moon rises behind one of the Kremlin ruby stars in Moscow on March 1, 2018.
