Klebnikov, Paul

(1963–2004)

   Journalist. Paul Klebnikov (sometimes spelled Khlebnikov), was an American journalist of Russian descent. He was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and the London School of Economics; he wrote his doctoral thesis on Russian pre-Soviet economic reforms. In 1989, he joined Forbes and gained a considerable reputation by investigating controversial financial dealings in post-Soviet Russia. He investigated Russian corruption and made many influential enemies. He rose to the position of Forbes’ senior editor and became the first editor of Forbes’ Russian edition when it was launched in 2004. He authored a number of publications, including a biography of Boris Berezovsky and a series of interviews with a Chechen guerilla commander. In 2004, Klebnikov was assassinated in Moscow, and although he survived the initial attack, he died in the hospital. His murder was linked to his professional activities and was one in a series of political assassinations of Russian journalists, including Anna Politkovskaya. Russian officials rejected U.S. help in investigating the case, which has been brought to trial but has not been resolved yet. Russian investigation has focused on Klebnikov’s links with Chechnya. Since his death, his widow, Musa Klebnikov, has established the Paul Klebnikov Fund to support the growth of civil society in the Russian Federation.