Investigators of the Krasnoyarsk Territory opened a criminal case into the murder of former people's representative and journalist Dmitry Popkov. The man died in the bathhouse from gunshot wounds. Several years ago, Popkov was sentenced to forced labor for beating a disabled teenager at a city festival.
42-year-old editor-in-chief of the Ton-M newspaper Dmitry Popkov was found dead on May 24 at about 11:00 p.m. in a bathhouse located in the fence of a private house on Karl Marx Street in Minusinsk, TASS reports with reference to the regional headquarters of the Russian Investigative Committee.
Are being considered different versions of the incident, including those related to the professional activities of the deceased, Olga Degid, media assistant to the head of the regional Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, explained to Interfax. According to her, the man was killed in the yard of his house.
However, according to Olga Shamanskaya, head of the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the victim lived in another place. This data is provided by Sib.fm.
A criminal case was opened under Part 1 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Murder”). Work is underway to identify the alleged killer.
It should be noted that the Ton-M newspaper published articles and letters from readers containing criticism of the actions of the city authorities. Dmitry Popkov was the editor-in-chief of the publication and one of the founders of Diara LLC, which publishes the newspaper. The publication was considered oppositional, and the Ton-M editorial office was previously under video surveillance, writes Taiga.info.
Investigators are not releasing the name of the person killed. However, the website of the socio-political newspaper "Ton-M" states that the editor-in-chief of the publication was Dmitry Popkov, a former deputy of the Minusinsk City Council from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
MP hits disabled teenager for refusing to 'make him a TV star'
On September 2, 2013, Dmitry Popkov was sentenced to 300 hours of compulsory labor for attacking a disabled minor.
As reported, on June 12, 2012, during the celebration of City Day in Minusinsk, a man resembling Dmitry Popkov hit a teenage cameraman while he was filming the celebration on a video camera.
A 15-year-old boy named Semyon, who is disabled and diabetic, worked as an intern at a local television company. As investigators later found out, during the holiday, a cheerful group of people approached the young journalist and asked to film them. However, the teenager refused because his video equipment battery was running low.
One of the strangers was offended that he would not be able to get on television, hit the reporter in the stomach and left. As a result of the blow, the victim's insulin pump needle, which maintains blood sugar levels, broke. The victim “felt unwell and had difficulty getting home.”
During the investigation, the victim identified his offender as a deputy of the Minusinsk City Council from Communist Party Russia by Dmitry Popkov. True, the people's choice himself refused to admit guilt. And after some time, a resident of Minusinsk came to the investigative authorities and reported that it was he who allegedly hit the disabled teenager.
On October 26, 2012, Popkov was charged. And already on November 1, the deputy, invited to the investigator to familiarize himself with the case materials, committed self-harm. "During investigative actions with him, Popkov took out a knife and cut himself left forearm", - said in law enforcement agencies.
The trial of the deputy began on January 23, 2013. And at the end of August, Popkov was arrested by court decision for systematically absenting himself from court hearings.
Investigators also noted that Deputy Popkov “delayed the process in every possible way, did not show up to familiarize himself with the materials, pretended to be sick, and even inflicted deliberate, demonstrative wounds on himself.”
Of the 20 scheduled court hearings, less than half were held, and the rest did not take place due to the absence of the accused or lawyer. To arrest the people's choice, he had to be put on the wanted list.
As the press wrote earlier, the communist Popkov was delaying the process, “hiding behind hemorrhoids.” At one of the meetings in the morning, the deputy’s lawyer said that the client was ill and was on sick leave. However, the judge ordered the bailiffs to find the accused, and at 14:00 the hearing resumed.
When Popkov appeared in court and stood up during the trial, his lawyer said that the client had bleeding hemorrhoids. The communist provided a certificate stating that he was being treated at city clinic N1.
However, the judge questioned why the accused was not being treated in a hospital at his place of residence. Therefore, the court decided to check whether the deputy had the declared illness.
It is noteworthy that hemorrhoids did not prevent Dmitry Popkov from participating in city council sessions, and during his arrest on August 31, 2013, he was driving a car.
Krasnoyarsk communists previously stated that the case brought against their comrade-in-arms Popkov was of a political nature. It is allegedly connected with the deputy’s activities directed against United Russia. The head of the Minusinsk branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Andrei Novak, said that Popkov was involved in “some aspects” of investigations into the activities of deputies of the Minusinsk City Council from “ United Russia", in connection with which criminal cases were initiated against them.
In 2014, Popkov was deprived of his deputy status at his own request.
Exactly a year has passed since the murder of Dmitry Popkov in Minusinsk. On May 25, 2017, the city was awakened by the news of the shooting of the editor-in-chief of the TON-M newspaper.
It all happened late on Wednesday evening, the 24th.
The body of 42-year-old Dmitry Popkov with numerous gunshot wounds was found in a bathhouse located in the fence of a private house on K. Marx Street. That evening the editor-in-chief was relaxing in the company of friends. Two men entered the steam room, and Popkov remained in the dressing room. As witnesses recall (we are not disclosing their names in the interests of the investigation), they heard dull pops and decided that the sound was from firecrackers exploding on the street.
When the men left the steam room, Popkov was lying in a pool of blood. It seemed that the shooter was not a professional - the bullets pierced not only the journalist’s heart and head, but also the lower parts of his body.
Eyewitnesses immediately called “02”. An ambulance, investigators, and police arrived. Investigative authorities opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 1 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder).
The very next day the police press service reported:
“To jointly carry out operational investigative activities and provide assistance in solving the crime, detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Krasnoyarsk Territory were sent to Minusinsk under the leadership of the acting police of the Main Directorate.”
A troop of police officers and investigators spent several months in Minusinsk. Interrogations were conducted with almost every acquaintance of Popkov, including using a polygraph. The editorial office of the TON-M newspaper was searched by FSB officers.
Three weeks after the murder, security forces released video from an external surveillance camera, which captured several people who may have witnessed the crime.
“We ask residents of Minusinsk who were near Victory Square on May 24 from 10 to 10:30 p.m. to get in touch,” the police press service then asked. “We ask these citizens to immediately contact the internal affairs bodies.”
Various versions were worked out: from professional activities to Popkov’s personal hostile relationships with different people.
The crime had such a wide resonance that Minusinsk was on the pages of federal and international media for a month.
Because of this, Russia was even included in the 2017 Global Impunity Index, which was published by the international organization Committee to Protect Journalists. Our country has become the ninth subject in the world where the authorities are delaying the investigation into the murders of journalists. The ONF couldn’t help but pay attention to this fact.
Experts from the Center for Legal Support of Journalists of the All-Russian Popular Front presented an updated map of violations of media rights. The anti-leaders included the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the city of Minusinsk as one of its territories.
But all the hype and incessant work of the security forces has still not yielded the main result - the killer of the editor-in-chief is walking free.
No one has yet been detained in the criminal case, the press service of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk Territory reported in response to an official request to the Sreda24 website.
“During the investigation, among others, the investigation checked the version related to the professional activities of the deceased. In particular, persons were identified in relation to whom critical articles were published in the TON-M newspaper. All of them were interrogated as witnesses. Measures were taken to to verify their involvement in the murder. This version was not confirmed.
The investigation does not exclude the possibility of a contract killing of D. Popkov. Work aimed at establishing all the circumstances of this crime and the persons involved in its commission continues,” the department explained.
We are monitoring developments.
This morning, shocking news appeared in several media outlets in the Krasnoyarsk Territory: late the night before, in the courtyard of his own house under construction, a former deputy of the Minusinsk City Council from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and now the editor-in-chief of the opposition newspaper “TON-M” (the publication criticizes the current authorities of Minusinsk) was shot dead. Dmitry Popkov. Information about the crime committed so far comes from sources in law enforcement agencies (they remain officially silent, promising to provide all possible details a little later) is extremely stingy. However, it is already clear that this high-profile murder of a journalist today will appear in the news feeds of almost all major Russian news agencies, becoming, as painful as it may be, “top” news. So, what is known at this hour?
According to several online publications of the Krasnoyarsk Territory (for example, “Dela.ru” and the Minusinsk publication “Sreda 24”), the murder occurred at approximately 23:00 on May 24. At that moment, Dmitry Popkov was leaving the bathhouse, located on the site where his cottage was being built.
The killer, according to some sources, fired only one shot, according to others, as many as five bullets were found in Popkov’s body (thus, the killer who committed this, possibly a contract killing, probably shot, remembering the so-called control shots - AN “Khakassia Inform”). Apparently, neighbors came running to the sound of gunshots and called the police and doctors. It is not reported whether Popkov’s family was in the house (according to other sources, he lived alone, having recently divorced his wife, and had two children).
It is also not yet known whether there was one killer or several people shot. There is no information about what kind of weapon was used in the shooting. (in principle, it could have been a burst from any automatic weapon - AN “Khakassia Inform”).
Judging by all of the above, the killers (or the murderer) were waiting for him at the house, that is, they knew (and therefore studied, and studying requires at least a week of surveillance) the daily routine of the victim.
Whether 42-year-old Popkov had any serious enemies who would have wanted him dead is now being determined by the investigation.
The TON-M newspaper has its own official website. AN "Khakassia Inform" will continue to monitor developments around this topic.
11.07: And here’s what the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Krasnoyarsk Territory just said...
"Investigative authorities Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a criminal case was initiated on the grounds of a crime under Part 1 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder).
According to the preliminary version of the investigation, on May 24, at about 11 p.m., the investigative authorities received a message that the body of a 42-year-old editor-in-chief of the newspaper "TON-M" with gunshot wounds was found in the premises of a bathhouse located in the fence of a private house on K. Marksa Street in Minusinsk . The investigation is considering different versions murders, including those related to the professional activities of the deceased.
Currently, operational measures are being carried out to establish all the circumstances of the incident. Acquaintances of the deceased are being interrogated, and those involved in the crime are being identified.
The criminal investigation continues."
12.11 : The press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Krasnoyarsk Territory said that local residents contacted the police and reported that they heard a bang that sounded like a gunshot. Investigators who arrived at the scene found a man with signs of violent death. Currently, a criminal case has been opened into the murder, and the search for the killer is underway.
“The investigation is considering various versions of the murder, including those related to the professional activities of the deceased. Currently, operational measures are being carried out aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident, and acquaintances of the deceased are being interrogated.”, - explained the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the region.
Reference
Five years ago, Dmitry Popkov was involved in a scandal that was covered, among other things, by the federal media. He was accused of beating a disabled teenager who was filming City Day celebrations in Minusinsk in 2012.
A deputy called to the investigative department attempted suicide by stabbing himself, after which he was hospitalized. Popkov did not admit his guilt in attacking the teenager, however, the court sentenced him to 300 hours of compulsory labor.
In 2014, Popkov, by decision of the City Council, was expelled from the deputy corps.
Photos from open sources
"Ton-M", former deputy Dmitry Popkov. He created the newspaper after he lost his mandate for beating a sick teenager. It is also known that Popkov had debts.
Courtyard of a private house, unfinished bathhouse. It was here that the body of Dmitry Popkov, a journalist and former deputy, was found. Assistant to the Head of the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee Russian Federation in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Olga Degid reported: “The investigation is considering different versions of the man’s murder, including those related to the professional activities of the deceased. The investigation of the criminal case continues.”
Outside of Minusinsk they heard about Dmitry Popkov five years ago, when federal newspapers and major television channels talked about how. It all happened when Minusinsk was celebrating City Day. Semyon Tyazhelnikov was filming the event for a local channel, at some point Popkov appeared and invited the teenager to record his dance on camera. Semyon refused and was hit in the stomach.
The teenager has diabetes and after such a meeting with the deputy began to feel worse. “Well, he completely ruined my health. I had stable sugar, stable health, no complications,” he says.
Later there were several years of investigation. Dmitry Popkov did not agree with the accusation, calling it a political order, and missed court hearings, citing illness. At the same time, he regularly attended other events. When the investigation materials were read out, Popkov. As a result, Popkov was still found guilty and assigned correctional labor. It is clear that I had to surrender my parliamentary mandate.
After some time, Dmitry Popkov created the newspaper "Ton-M", in which he criticized local deputies and made attempts to expose the city administration. In fact, from the pages of Popkov’s newspaper, the editors accused the authorities of deliberately fighting the publication. “Our newspaper has long been accustomed to the fact that many officials consider us a bone in their throats and try to silence us with all sorts of methods,” the journalists wrote.
The slogan of the publication is “We say what others are silent about.” But now the newspaper itself is silent: editorial phones do not answer, employees refuse to comment. Former colleagues in the Communist Party of the Russian Federation are sure that Popkov’s newspaper interfered with officials. The murdered journalist himself thought the same. “This newspaper has always reflected relevant and topical materials that related to corruption, which related to violations by officials, the attitude of officials towards the working class, towards the residents of Minusinsk,” notes Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Pyotr Medvedev
There is one more interesting detail: as of last year, Dmitry Popkov owed almost 2.5 million rubles. He has not been able to repay his debts since 2005, officially not owning any property. However, this did not stop the journalist from driving around Minusinsk in a car that cost 4 million rubles back in 2015. Having no money or property, Popkov was building a country house, in the courtyard of which the journalist was found murdered. The logical question is: where did Dmitry Popkov get so much money?
So what was the reason for the murder - personal scores or professional activity? Investigators are now looking into this. A criminal case has been opened.
A colleague of the editor-in-chief of the TON-M newspaper, who was killed in Minusinsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), neighboring Khakassia, has no doubt that the cause of the tragedy was the man’s professional activities.
"Murder is directly related to the topics we publish. There are a lot of versions", suggested a colleague of the murdered man in a comment to reporters.
As the site has already reported, Dmitry Popkov was killed on the evening of May 24 in the private sector of Minusinsk. Detailed information Investigators are not giving information about the murder of the journalist.
“Moscow forbade us from commenting on the murder,” the Investigative Committee’s Investigative Directorate for the Krasnoyarsk Territory told the news agency.
In the meantime, law enforcement officials remain silent, those around the murdered man have already begun to doubt that the investigation will work objectively. Let us remind you that “TON-M” with the slogan “We write about what others are silent about” is considered an opposition publication in the city. Articles compromising authorities regularly appear on its pages. local authorities, law enforcement officers and dishonest businessmen. Corruption, scandals with municipal procurement, embezzlement of public funds are the main topics of the weekly publication. Most often, Popkov’s “brainchild” was “traversed” by deputies from the party in power and local officials, including Mayor Dmitry Merkulov.
By the way, Merkulov commented on the tragedy on his social network page the previous day as follows:
"A tragic and shocking incident. I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dmitry Popkov. The crime must be investigated in the most thorough manner".
Today it is known that Popkov’s body was discovered by neighbors. It was they who heard the shots and called the police. But when the police arrived, it was no longer possible to save Dmitry. Five bullets from a firearm left the man no chance of life. The weapon with which Popkov was shot has not been found. According to the press service of the regional investigative committee, the best Krasnoyarsk specialists were immediately involved in the investigation of the murder. The circle of people with whom Popkov has had recent contact is being established. A criminal case has been opened under the article “Murder”.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, on May 24, Popkov invited friends to the bathhouse. What happened next is a mystery shrouded in darkness. Meanwhile, friends and colleagues themselves are reluctant to comment on the tragedy.
Thus, the secretary of the Krasnoyarsk regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Andrey Novak, with whom Popkov not only was in the same party, but also often met during non-working hours, is now in Moscow. He refused to comment on what happened, citing the time difference.
Another representative of the Minusinsk communists Andrey Mantsyrev The site also decided to refrain from commenting for now.
Let us remember that Popkov was previously a deputy of the Minusinsk City Council. But after the celebration of City Day in 2012, his life changed in many ways. The man was charged with battery on a child. Popkov himself claimed that he was innocent, and high-profile accusations were just a reason to cause him trouble and remove him from the City Council.
And indeed, in 2014, Dmitry Alexandrovich lost his deputy status by decision of the City Council. Since then, he began to express his civic position in the scandalous newspaper "TON-M", the first issue of which was published on May 5, 2014. In this newspaper, he was not only the editor-in-chief, but was also listed among the founders.
At present, as a colleague of the murdered editor-in-chief noted, there are a lot of versions of what happened. Who could Popkov dislike? In his publications, he affected the interests of Minusinsk officials, businessmen, mayor Dmitry Merkulov, former inter-district prosecutor Alexei Afanasyev, and deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Vladislav Zyryanov and others like them.
So, in 2015, in an interview with one of the Minusinsk newspapers, Zyryanov even called “TON-M” a tabloid sprout, “ led by a communist with a criminal record".
“I don’t know who is interested in this newspaper, the level of lies in which, according to many Minusinsk residents, is simply off the charts,” the deputy told Minusinsk journalists in 2015.
In addition, Vladislav Zyryanov considered it necessary to note that Popkov " twice - in 1999 and 2005 - he was prosecuted under Art. 213 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Hooliganism”) and under Art. 198 part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Tax evasion”). So, according to the service bailiffs, he has been in no hurry to repay his debt to the state for many years, which amounts to more than a million rubles! But I don’t know when he will repay the debt. According to the documents, Popkov is supposedly a beggar - he has nothing: no cars, no apartments, no money. At the same time, he is not ashamed to drive around Minusinsk in a foreign car worth several million rubles".
According to regional media reports, Popkov’s conflict with prosecutor Afanasyev escalated over a plot of land on Karl Marx Street in Minusinsk. It appears that this is where the man was killed.
According to krasrab.com, Minusinsk City Council deputy Igor Zalizny saw in the actions of Dmitry Aleksandrovich’s ex-wife signs of unlawful seizure of the said land plot, which was allegedly intended for a large family. The social activist expressed his assumptions in a statement addressed to prosecutor Afanasyev. The intervention of the prosecutor, according to journalists, added fuel to Popkov’s relationship with the main Minusinsk supervisor.
Investigators are currently checking all versions of what happened.
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