Russian authorities reopen investigation into 200-year-old crime

The Russian government isn’t happy with the way authorities conducted their investigation into the death of Mikhail Lermontov, a prominent Russian poet who was killed nearly 200 years ago. As RIA Novosti reported, MP Nikolai Burlyayev has initiated the reopening of a criminal investigation into the crime by the Investigative Committee of Russia.

«The Investigative Committee responded and joint work on the issue has begun. This includes some technical aspects. We will inform the public on the course of the investigation and its results,» Burlyayev said.

He also noted that Russian forensic experts have repeatedly said that the initial investigation into the poet’s death in 1841 was not conducted properly.

Lermontov was killed by former Russian army Maj. Nikolai Martynov during a duel in the summer of 1841 at age 26. He was buried two days after the incident in Pyatigorsk.