Russian investigative journalist dies after mystery balcony fall

A Russian journalist who wrote on Moscow's "shadow army" in Syria has died after falling from the balcony of his fifth-floor flat.

An undated handout photo made available by Russian news agency 'Novy Den' ('The New Day') of Maxim Borodin

An undated handout photo made available by Russian news agency 'Novy Den' ('The New Day') of Maxim Borodin Source: newdaynews.ru

Maxim Borodin fell from his apartment in Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, last week and died from his injuries in hospital on Sunday, news agencies reported.

Investigators said Monday they were not treating the death as suspicious.

He worked for the news service Noviy Den (New Day) and recently wrote on the deaths of employees of the so-called "Wagner Group", the private army Moscow is using in Syria.

"There are no grounds for launching a case," the local investigative committee told the TASS news agency Monday.

"Several versions are being considered, including that this was an unfortunate accident, but there is no sign a crime has been committed," it said.

The local committee told AFP it would not comment on the incident to foreign media.

But Harlem Desir, the representative for freedom of the media at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said Borodin's death was "of serious concern". 

"I call on the authorities for a swift and thorough investigation," he said on Twitter Monday.

Russia has a disturbing record of attacks on reporters, with 58 killed since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. 


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Published 17 April 2018 8:43am
Updated 17 April 2018 11:41am
Source: AFP, SBS


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