Aleksey Venediktov, Chief Editor of Echo Moskvy Radio, one of the few independent media outlets in Moscow, says he found a chunk of timber with an ax embedded in it outside his apartment door in Moscow as he returned home on 5 February 2009 in the early morning hours.

A video camera, aimed at the door of Venediktov’s flat, was fixed on the opposite side of the elevator’s door.

Investigators say the incident might represent a threat to Venediktov and could be connected to his professional activities.

Journalists’ communities are concerned about this disturbing situation. Committee for Journalists’ Protection, Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation and Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations call on the Russian authorities to investigate the case thoroughly.

“Venetiktov is in charge of one of the few independent and courageous media outlets in the Russian Federation, which is open for critical voices and opinions. Taking into account high risk for journalists in the current context, the powers must take the incident seriously”, the Committee for Journalists` Protection commented.

Venediktov has already been threatened before. “Anonyms called me and suggested I should think about my family and my son”, Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper quoted his words.

Venediktov reported the incident to the police and the investigation was started.  Neither he nor members of his family would comment on the incident.

Aleksey Venediktov, 53, has been working with Echo Moskvy team from its establishment in 1990, starting as a correspondent and media observer and then a Chief of the information service. In February 1998 he became Editor in Chief .Venediktov is also the president of Echo-TV Company.

Echo was criticized sharply by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last September regarding the way they highlighted events in Georgia.

The incident comes after a chain of murders targeting journalists in the Russian Federation.

The latest was in late January, when Novaya Gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova was shot and killed on a Moscow street.