What has been passed to the trial now is maximum one third of investigation within the frame of which it is also necessary to see into one important point: who, with what purpose and in whose interests organized the leaks, which allowed the killer escaping from Russia, while the organizer was able to cover one’s tracks. If there had been no leaks – done also by FSB General Kupryazhkin and spokesperson of the Moscow Court Usacheva – the dock could have been more populated at present stage of investigation. 

So there’s no need to jump to upbeat reports. Yes, those four people involved will appear before the court, as the preliminary investigation is finished about them. And the rest of culprits are still to be established, caught, sentenced and imprisoned.  

Editorial board of Novaya Gazeta still continues its own investigation and cooperates with the official one. It will become clear at the court whether conclusions made and actions taken have been grounded well.  

Investigation is blamed for releasing a few persons and freeing from a charge some of them. Well, it’s not quite clear why investigation is reproached, while it just observes the law, which is a rare thing in Russia yet. Would it be better if innocent people appeared before the court and then the jury acquitted them together with real culprits? Why those who cannot hinder the investigation and who cooperate with it, why must they be kept in custody? Why those whose guilt is not proved also due to the leaks done, why mustn’t they get at large? Investigation still observes the norms of the law, no matter if it is liked or not by some. It appears to us that Anna Politkovskaya’s case cannot be investigated with the law violations against which Anna opposed in our newspaper.