The General Investigative Office of the Russian Investigative Committee within the criminal investigation into the killing of a journalist Anna Politkovskaya charged today the ex-Lieutenant Colonel Dmitri Pavlyuchnkov with the crime under paragraphs “б,ж,з”, part 2, article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code (murder of person due to their professional activity committed by an organized contracted group).

Over the time of Pavlyuchenkov’s detention the investigation have specified his role in preparation and committing the crime. According to investigation in July 2006, Lom-ali Gaytukayev received an order from the unknown person to kill for money a “Novaya gazeta” journalist Anna Politkovskaya. For this purpose Gaytukayev organized a criminal group, consisting of Pavlyuchenkov, Gaytukayev’s nephews the Makhmudov’s brothers and a former Moscow Department to Combat Organized Crime detective Sergey Khadzhikurbanov released from prison in 2006.

As found by the investigation, Pavlyuchenkov who at the time was the head of the department of 4^th division of the Moscow General Internal Affairs Directorate which carried out external observation ordered his subordinates to watch the journalist in order to find out the way and time of her daily trips around the city. Pavlyuchenkov gave this information and the murder weapon to the killer Rustam Makhmudov and his accomplices, who had been carrying out surveillance over Anna Politkovskaya few days before the murder.

The murder was committed approximately at 4 p.m. on 7 October 2006. On that day Anna Politkovskaya, having parked her car next to the house on Lesnaya street, entered the elevator to get to her apartment. She was shot five times. After that the killer went out from the front door, got into the VAZ 21043 car waiting for him at “Novoslobodskaya” underground station and drove away togethter with his accomplices.

The investigation is continued. Investigative actions are under way to determine all accomplices of the murder including the contractor.