Russian journalist Oleg Kashin has released the names of three men who have been charged with severely beating him in a 2010 attack in which he nearly died, and he expressed fears for his safety in connection with the influential figures he believes ordered the attack.
Kashin, 35, wrote on his website on September 7 that the three -- Danila Vesyolov, Vyacheslav Borisov, and Mikhail Kavtaskin -- were security guards at a St. Petersburg factory.
He told RFE/RL on September 7 that he neither knew the men personally nor had any problems with them.
Kashin alleged that the men's boss, Aleksandr Gorbunov, director of the holding company that owns the factory, hired the security guards to attack him.
Gorbunov is currently under arrest for charges in a separate case related to illegal possession of firearms, so was unavailable for comment.
Kashin told RFE/RL that he decided to reveal the three suspects' names out of fear for his safety in the event that Gorbunov is released from custody.
"Because very soon a court in St. Petersburg is set to decide the pretrial status of Aleksandr Gorbunov, whom the attackers have called the organizer of the crime, I was afraid that he might be released," Kashin said. "There are many reasons to believe that he might be released. I know that even state prosecutors have requested his transfer under house arrest. That is why I made this information public."
The factory where Gorbunov and the three security guards worked is part of a holding company owned by Pskov region Governor Andrei Turchak, a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin.
Kashin has said that the attack followed a public dispute with Turchak on his LiveJournal blog after a demand from Turchak that Kashin apologize for a critical remark.
Talking to RFE/RL, Kashin expressed fear about speaking out, saying that "any word uttered by me accidentally can come back to hurt me."
Kashin also alleged that Turchak visited the deputy chief of the Russian presidential administration, Vladislav Surkov, after the attack in an effort to persuade Surkov that he had nothing to do with the attack.
Kashin did not say how or from whom he obtained that information.
Kashin also said that he is ready to withdraw his lawsuit accusing Russian law enforcement of reluctance to investigate his case, which was filed with the European Court of Human Rights.
Kashin, a prolific blogger and freelance writer, has been a supporter of the anti-Putin opposition.
He was a special correspondent for Kommersant when he was attacked outside his Moscow home late at night in November 2010.
The attack left the reporter with two broken legs, mangled fingers, a damaged skull, and multiple jaw fractures.
Kashin underwent several surgeries after the attack and was kept in a coma during part of his time in hospital.
Then-President Dmitry Medvedev publicly condemned the attack and announced he would personally oversee the investigation.
