Caucasian Knot | On the 17th anniversary of the murder of Markelov and Baburova, cities across Russia honored their memory.

Memorial events for Russian lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova were held across Russia and Europe on January 19, marking the 17th anniversary of their deaths. The Yabloko party has appealed to the Moscow mayor to install a memorial plaque at the site of the murders.

Memorials Held in Multiple Cities

Events commemorating Markelov and Baburova took place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Riga, and other cities, according to reports. In Moscow, members of the Yabloko party laid flowers at the site of the murders on Prechistenka Street.

Call for Memorial Plaque

Yabloko Chairman Kirill Goncharov stated the importance of such memorials, particularly in light of recent events, including the destruction of a memorial plaque for journalist Anna Politkovskaya. He connected these incidents to a resurgence of hatred and intolerance. Yabloko Chairman Nikolay Rybakov sent an appeal to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin requesting the installation of a memorial plaque, stating it would serve as a symbol of the value of human life and a rejection of extremism and hatred.

Detentions and Continued Remembrance

Three participants in a memorial event were detained in Samara: activists Denis Belousov, Nikita Teryaev, and Grigory Oganezov. Memorials were also erected in Yekaterinburg, Perm, Blagoveshchensk, Baksan, Krasnoyarsk, Zheleznogorsk, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, and Rostov-on-Don. In Rostov-on-Don, a small memorial was erected in Nikolai Ostrovsky Park, and photographs were installed in the city park of Baksan in Kabardino-Balkaria.

Evgenia Khasis, convicted in connection with the murders, was released from prison in late November 2025 and admitted to being an accomplice in Markelov’s murder, while expressing regret for Baburova’s death.