It is not the first time that Elena Milashina has received death threats, but this time it was immediately after the journalist became a target of the anger of the leader of the Chechen Republic.
Ramadan Kadyrov, who is known for his harsh words, and whose critics accuse him of planning to assassinate his opponents, rules this Republic with an iron fist with the support of the Kremlin.
This time, he called on social media to attack Elena Milashina, correspondent in the Russian newspaper "Novaya Gazeta", because of an article she wrote about the outbreak of the Corona virus in Chechnya.
"Ramadan Kadyrov was direct by saying what they should do to me and how. It is the first time that he says this this way and this clarity," the 42-year-old told France Press.
The Chechen leader takes on her April 12 article in which she spoke that Chechen citizens with the Covid-19 epidemic are reluctant to seek help from poorly equipped hospitals for fear of reprisals and reprisals by the security forces.
The next day, Kadyrov accused the newspaper of being "a puppet in the hands of the West" and called on the Kremlin to "stop these inhumane individuals" before asserting that if he did not do so his men might move. "Don´t turn us into criminals and killers," he said.
Kadyrov is accused of imposing isolation measures to contain the Covid-19 epidemic by spreading fear.
Videos were posted on social media, in which the police appeared to patrol the streets of Grozny, the Chechen capital, and imposed respect for isolation by beating with sticks.
Kadyrov publicly called for the "killing" of those who refuse to respect isolation measures, and described the Chechens who transmitted the infection to others as "terrorists".
"When he realized the gravity of the situation with the virus, he decided to fight it with all the excessive force that characterized it, as usual, by resorting to intimidation and imposing strict measures," said Ekaterina Sukryanskaya, director of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention.
In another area, Kadyrov shaved his hair in response to complaints about the closing of barbers. As a demonstration of his influence, a number of Chechen officials followed suit and posted pictures of them on social media.
The Chechens officially registered 347 cases of Covid-19 epidemic and six deaths. And in Russia, it recorded more than 60 thousand injuries and 600 deaths.
Kadyrov, 43, came to power in Chechnya after his father was assassinated in a bombing in 2004.
He planned to fight separatists and jihadists through extra-judicial abuses and executions, according to human rights defenders.
For the Kremlin, Kadyrov has contributed to the stability of this republic, which has witnessed two wars in the past two decades.
In response to a question about the threats to the Russian journalist, the Russian presidential spokesman downplayed that considering that nothing "goes out of the ordinary" in an "emotional" and understandable response given the situation.
The Russian Public Prosecution ordered the withdrawal of the published article, describing it as "unreliable" and as a threat to public health.
On the other hand, more than 100 civil society figures in Russia called for the opening of a criminal investigation and state protection for Elena Milashina, who also had the support of European diplomats and international NGOs.
"The Kremlin uses the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to allow Kadyrov to make a clear death threat," said Tania Lukchina of Human Rights Watch.
Melashina says she does not hope that the Russian judiciary will move. In February, after being assaulted in Grozny, the investigation did not lead to any result because the photos of the surveillance cameras were unfortunately "lost".
"Moscow will choose Kadyrov if she chooses me and him," she concluded.
