Vyacheslav Zhuravlyov, suspect of Politkovskaya's murder, asserts his non-involvement

Vyacheslav Zhuravlyov, a militiaman from Nizhnevartovsk, suspected by the State Office of Public Prosecutor of implication in killing journalist Anna Politkovskaya, has stated in his interview to the "Komsomolskaya Pravda" newspaper that he had nothing to do with the murder, and moreover, in no case could have been its executor. Mr. Zhuravlyov told in his interview that he did not leave Nizhnevartovsk on October 7, when the murder was committed, and has numerous witnesses of the fact.

Vyacheslav Zhuravlyov appeared in Politkovskaya's publications as the investigator who interrogated Chechen Zelimkhan Murdalov, suspected of storing drugs and arrested by Nizhnevartovsk militiamen, who had never come back home after interrogation at the Oktiabrskiy ROVD (District Militia Station) of Grozny, the NEWSru.com reports.

According to the investigators, Zhuravlyov had all the grounds to wish the journalist's death, and he was made one of the main suspects in the criminal case on the fact of the murder; besides, judging by the identikit (photo robot) and videos of street cameras near the victim's home, the major looks like the killer, filmed by them while he was leaving the porch.

Meanwhile, the international journalistic community intends to demand from the Russian authorities to provide a report on investigation of Anna Politkovskaya's murder and murders of other Russian journalists. This was told today to journalists by Aidan White, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists.