Editor shot dead in Russia’s Siberia

MOSCOW – Russian investigators say the editor of a local newspaper in Siberia has been shot dead.

The Investigative Committee in the Krasnoyarsk region said in a statement on Thursday that 42-year-old Dmitry Popkov, editor of the Ton-M newspaper, was found dead with gunshot wounds outside his home in the city of Minusinsk late on Wednesday. The investigators had no details of the killing but said they were looking into several possible motives, including Popkov’s work.

Ton-M, founded by Popkov in 2014, is a rare regional publication that has been openly critical of local authorities and functionaries from the Kremlin-backed United Russia party.

Popkov held a brief tenure at the Minusinsk city council before he was stripped of his seat.