Russia: The media and the mob.

Editorial independence still carries too high a price for many publishers in Russia, Maria Esposito writes.

Publishing a rich list doesn't usually come with a death warrant attached, but that seems to have been the case for the US-born journalist Paul Klebnikov.

Less than two months after compiling the first authoritative rundown of Russia's super-wealthy, Klebnikov, the editor of the business title Forbes Russia, was gunned down by contract killers outside his Moscow office in May 2004. Last month, the Russian authorities failed to pin a guilty verdict on the main suspects - two Chechens working for a notorious warlord offended by Klebnikov's writing. With a question-mark still hanging over the identity of his killers, Klebnikov is widely believed to have been a victim of political terrorism.

'If a magazine or newspaper is linked to political and strategic economic issues, then Russia is an ideologically difficult place to be,' one media player who refused to be named says. 'We can't report on these issues.

Russia leaves a lot of freedom for consumer content but our group doesn't have any daily newspapers. It would not be possible to have a strong editorial product, because you would not be able to report on everything.'

The clearest example of this media clampdown is the 300 million-rouble (more than pounds 6 million) fine slapped on the leading business daily, Kommersant.

After reporting that customers were flocking to withdraw money from Alfa-Bank during the 2004 banking crisis, Kommersant was forced to pay damages for allegedly damaging the financial market and causing the bank's customers to panic. 'It's a sign that it's dangerous to go too far,' the same source says. 'It was damaging the image of that bank, which is closely linked to the government.'