Septuagenarian stabs four journalists in Russia for not publishing his article on Joseph Stalin

MOSCOW: Four Russian journalists were stabbed by a 70-year-old man for allegedly not publishing an article on former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, police said on Monday.

The incident took place in the editorial office of Radina newspaper, located in Russia's southern city of Stavropol. The suspect arrived at the office on Monday and asked to meet the editor-in-chief Nikolai Bondarenko, reports The Moscow Times.

Bondarenko's daughter Svetlana Bondarenko told Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta that the attack was carried out in retribution for the newspaper's refusal to print his article on Stalin.

"When he was told that the [editorial] board would make a decision [on whether to publish the article or not], he took out a hunting knife and attacked the editor-in-chief," said Viktor Lozovoy, a regional lawmaker.

The newspaper's employees said that the attacker had visited the editorial office a few times before to get his articles published, but was unsuccessful, reports Russia Today.

Three journalists escaped the incident with minor injuries, while Bondarenko was hospitalised.

The attacker later told the police that he had planned to kill the editor-in-chief "for Stalin" and "to spark public outcry."