The editor-in-chief of Ton-M, a local newspaper, was shot dead in Minusink in the Krasnodarski province, according to Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty. Other reports said that Popkov was found in the sauna in his backyard. He had been shot five times.

Popkov’s publication is well known for its hard hitting investigations and he had told Radio Free Europe in a recent interview that his newspaper had become an “obstacle for local officials who are now threatening and intimidating journalists.”