The former editor of the independent newspaper Khimkinskaya Pravda died of heart failure in a Moscow hospital after choking on food. In November 2008, Beketov was the victim of a savage beating by unknown attackers who left him out in the cold to die. He lost three fingers and part of his leg and suffered long term brain damage.

The journalist had a breathing tube inserted in a life-saving surgery following the assault. However the operation also left scars that caused food to block the airflow to his lungs, eventually leading to heart failure. Mr Beketov's death this April was a direct consequence of the injuries he sustained in that assault.

In 2012, he was awarded a journalism prize by Russian President Vladimir Putin who promised that his attackers would be found and prosecuted. Bit, despite these promises, nobody has been punished for the assault that led to his death.