Police Probe Girenko Case - The St. Petersburg Times

Police have conducted more than 30 raids and searches in St. Petersburg and Novgorod in their investigation of the murder of Nikolai Girenko, an expert on skinheads. Before he was killed on June 19, Girenko had been due to testify at a trial of an extremist group in Novgorod. St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko met top law enforcers this week to discuss progress on the case. "It is a matter of professional honor for law enforcement officers to find those who killed Nikolai Girenko and those who ordered his murder," said Matviyenko, who has taken personal control of the investigation. A nationalist website claimed responsibility for Girenko's murder on June 24 and police have targeted youth groups known to have nationalist leanings and have seized a substantial amount of neo-Nazi literature. The possibility of opening a second criminal case related to the murder - of organizing an extremist group - is being considered, the police said.