Suspect in attempted murder of journalist Oleg Kashin says sitting Pskov governor ordered the attack

Danila Veselov, a suspect in the violent 2010 attack on investigative journalist Oleg Kashin, has testified that the crime was organized by “Zaslon” CEO Alexander Gorbunov and sitting Pskov region Governor Andrei Turchak. Veselov had worked in the security department of the St. Petersburg company “Zaslon” when the attack on Kashin occurred. The company is owned by Governor Andrei Turchak’s family.

The news source Mediazona reported on the testimony, citing a source close to the investigation. According to the source, Veselov claimed that about a month before the attack, Gorbunov called him into his office and told him that journalist Oleg Kashin had offended Governor Andrei Turchak and must be punished. Initially, the two men had spoken about the possibility of dousing Kashin in a green antiseptic called “zelyonka” (a common way of attacking political adversaries in Russia). Veselov and two co-conspirators came to Moscow from St. Petersburg to find out where Kashin lives. During this trip, Gorbunov organized a meeting between Veselov and Governor Turchak in a Moscow restaurant.

At another meeting later, Gorbunov told Veselov that he and his co-conspirators should “traumatize his [Kashin’s] limbs, arms, and legs.” According to Veselov, his wife is in possession of audio recordings of this meeting and several subsequent meetings.

A source close to the investigation also reported that Gorbunov, in turn, has testified that he never spoke with Governor Turchak about his conflict with Kashin.

The meetings with Veselov were not connected with organizing the attack on Kashin, and Veselov is saying such things because he and the aforementioned individuals are party to organizing his [Gorbunov’s] kidnapping, says Gorbunov. He also completely denies any fact of a meeting between Veselov and Turchak at a Moscow restaurant. According to Gorbunov, he never spoke with Turchak about Kashin’s offense.

Oleg Kashin, known for his harsh criticism of the authorities, was beaten in the early morning hours of November 6, 2010, outside his home. His fingers were broken and his head was smashed with a heavy object. He was hospitalized in a coma. Police treated the case as a murder attempt.

On September 7, 2015, following a breakthrough in the investigation, Kashin disclosed the names of the alleged attackers who nearly killed him. The men seem to be linked to Andrei Turchak, Pskov's governor.

On September 16, the wife of one of the suspects, Danila Veselov, reported to the press that she is in possession of several copies of an audio recording featuring Governor Turchak discussing the planned attack with Veselov and Veselov’s boss, Alexander Gorbunov. Veselov’s wife says she intends to use the audio file as a way of protecting her husband.

Meanwhile, Gorbunov claims that Veselov and the other two co-conspirators are guilty of kidnapping him in April 2014. A separate investigation regarding the kidnapping is underway, and Veselov has reportedly even confessed to the kidnapping.

Turchak and his allies remain free and have not been questioned regarding the case.

For more on the attack on Kashin and the unfolding investigation, see Clobbering Kashin: How a sitting governor may be implicated in the 2010 murder attempt on independent journalist Oleg Kashin