The criminal case on the attack on Mikhail Beketov, editor-in-chief of Moscow newspaper Khimkinskaya Pravda, could be changed from hooliganism to attempted murder, says Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

“Medical tests of body injuries support the conclusion that the attackers were intending to actually kill the victim,” said a source in the prosecutor’s office. This means that the victim’s vital organs were deliberately targeted in order to cause fatal injury. Therefore the criminal case falls under the article 105 of the Criminal Code of Russia, attempted murder.

Beketov was found seriously injured near his home in the Moscow suburb of Khimki on November 13. He is currently in intensive care. Doctors describe his condition as extremely grave. One of his legs and several fingers have been amputated. 

Beketov has been a harsh critic of the Khimki administration. He is also famous for his articles on illegal tree felling and grave desecration in the Moscow region.