Milashina has been threatened and attacked over her work multiple times over the course of more than a decade. In 2023, she was severely beaten while covering a trial in Chechnya.
She continued investigations started by her colleague Anna Politkovskaya, who was assassinated in Moscow in 2006, and her own independent investigations into occurrences in the North Caucasus.[7]
Attacks and threats
In the early morning of April 5, 2012, Milashina, along with her friend Ella Asoyan, was attacked by two unknown assailants in the Balashikha neighborhood of Moscow.[8]
While visiting Grozny, Chechnya on February 6, 2020, to attend a trial, Milashina and human rights lawyer Marina Dubrovina were attacked and beaten by unknown female assailants at the lobby of the Kontinental hotel.[9]
Novaya Gazeta reported on February 8, 2022 that Milashina had been forced to leave Russia due to threats against her.[10][11]
In July 2023, Milashina and Alexander Nemov, the lawyer for Zarema Musayeva, whose trial Milashina was covering, were hospitalised after reportedly being attacked by an armed group in Chechnya.[5][6] The assailants also shaved Milashina's head and covered it in green dye, known as a Zelyonka attack, while telling her to leave and to not write any articles, according to the Memorial human rights organization.[5][6] Milashina and Nemov were taken by plane to Moscow, where Milashina was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, numerous fractures of the hands and bruises.[12][13][14]
