Full Breakdown
Nina Litvinova’s Suicide Note Blames President Vladimir Putin
5/15/2026, 9:05:20 PM
The Suicide and Note
On 13 May 2026, 80-year-old human-rights activist Nina Litvinova died by suicide. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported her death and confirmed she left a handwritten note, but did not publish its text. The following day, her cousin, journalist Maria Slonim, posted an excerpt of the note on Facebook.
Activism and Repression Background
Litvinova worked at the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and, since the 1960s, assisted Soviet and Russian political prisoners. She attended trials of historian Yury Dmitriev, Memorial co-founder Oleg Orlov, and theatre director Evgenia Berkovich, and helped detainees such as Yevgenia Berkovich, Svetlana Petriichuk and Karina Tsurkan. Her brother, Pavel Litvinov, participated in a 1968 Red Square demonstration against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, a protest that shaped her lifelong commitment. In 2022 she appeared briefly in an RFE/RL documentary visiting jailed activist Olga Bendas. Her activism continued despite the war in Ukraine and the mass imprisonment of thousands who oppose the conflict.
Official Statements and Media Coverage
RIA Novosti acknowledged Litvinova’s death and the existence of a note but gave no details. The human-rights organization Memorial posted a tribute on its social-media channels, describing her as “embodying quiet but unbending courage and decency” and mourning her loss. No response from the Kremlin or other government officials has been reported.
Criticism of the Kremlin
The note directly blames President Vladimir Putin for the conditions that made Litvinova’s life “unbearable.” It condemns the war in Ukraine and the “ceaseless imprisonment” of thousands who oppose it. The excerpt also lists political prisoners Yevgenia Berkovich, Svetlana Petriichuk and Karina Tsurkan, describing their suffering as a source of her despair. Maria Slonim, Litvinova’s cousin, interpreted the accusation as evidence that Putin was responsible for her death, reflecting broader activist criticism of state-led repression.
Conflicting Reports and Unverified Details
The full text of Litvinova’s note has not been independently verified. Russian outlets state they will not publish it, citing its stark content. The only publicly available portion comes from Slonim’s Facebook post, which includes the claim that “thousands are endlessly thrown into prison.” No official investigation or forensic report confirming the cause of death beyond suicide has been released, leaving a gap between state reporting and activist testimony.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Nobody -- neither RIA nor Gazeta. Ru, which first reported it -- will, of course, publish the note, because it lays out the reasons for her death far too plainly. So we decided to show the real reasons: Putin killed her!” — Maria Slonim, journalist, cousin
- “I love all of you and think about you. But I must leave; living has become unbearable for me. Ever since Putin attacked Ukraine and has been killing innocent people, while here at home thousands are endlessly thrown into prison, suffering and dying there simply because, like me, they oppose the war and oppose killing,” — Nina Litvinova, suicide note
- “I tried to help them, but my strength is gone, and day and night I suffer from helplessness.” — Nina Litvinova, suicide note
- “Nina Litvinova embodied a quiet but unbending courage and decency. She was always there where the pain was greatest,” — Memorial, obituary
