Prison Officials Charged in Journalist’s Assassination; Ties to Crime Lord Verica Rexha Revealed

Novigrad, Chernarus — May 28, 2025

By Svetlana Golikova, Zelenogorsk Pravda

Svetlana Golikova

In a dramatic development, Chernarusian authorities have charged multiple prison officials with complicity in the assassination of investigative journalist Anna Kournikova, linking the plot to notorious Albanian crime lord and separatist commander Verica Rexha, who was killed last week in a military operation. The Ministry of Justice confirmed the arrests late Tuesday, revealing a web of corruption that bridges organized crime and the Chernarusian separatist movement.

Kournikova, whose exposés on Chernarusian narcotics trafficking and separatist-colluding officials made her a target, was murdered in March under circumstances initially shrouded in mystery. New evidence ties her death to Rexha, a shadowy figure whose dual role as a Chedaki separatist leader and transnational crime operative allowed her to orchestrate the killing with chilling precision.

From Orchards to Underworld

Verica Rexha

Born into poverty near Rruga Hasan, Albania, Rexha’s trajectory

 from farm girl to feared assassin reads like a crime epic. Her

 father’s agricultural transport business, exploited by Balkan gangs

 for drug and human trafficking, became her gateway into organized

 crime. By 16, she was collaborating with Kosovar mafia

 underbosses, later forging ties with Bulgarian, Ukrainian, and

 Russian syndicates.

Rexha’s ruthlessness propelled her rise. After a short-lived marriage to a Bulgarian crime boss—whom she abandoned along with their three children—she embedded herself in Chernarus’ separatist Chedaki movement. There, she revolutionized its hierarchy by recruiting women into leadership roles, leveraging their underestimated status to deepen ties with foreign criminal networks. “Male commanders dismissed these women as non-threats,” a Ministry investigator noted. “That blindness became their weapon.”

The Kournikova Contract
Kournikova’s reporting on Chedaki-linked narcotics routes and official corruption reportedly irked Rexha, whose smuggling operations funded separatist activities. While Rexha initially deemed the journalist “unreachable,” Ministry data indicates she later greenlit a contract with four Albanian mercenaries—all personally tied to Rexha—to silence Kournikova.

The prison officials now facing charges allegedly facilitated the hit by leaking Kournikova’s whereabouts or granting assassins access during a staged custody transfer. “These individuals betrayed their duty to protect a citizen in state care,” Justice Minister Irina Veshnyakova declared. “Their actions served a criminal cabal, not Chernarus.”

Rexha’s Demise and Disturbing Legacy
Rexha met her end on May 1 in a Chernarus Defense Forces raid near Vladimirovka, North Zagoria. Recovered from her body was a trove of intelligence: encrypted contacts of assassins, smuggling routes, and—most puzzlingly—multiple explicit videos, including some featuring Rexha herself. While the Ministry declined to speculate on their purpose, insiders suggest they may have served as blackmail tools or transactional currency.

“Rexha’s phone was a Pandora’s box,” a security official stated anonymously. “The videos shocked us, but the names in her files will unravel networks for years.”

Fallout and Future Reckoning
The charges underscore the Chedakis’ reliance on criminal revenue and international alliances. With Rexha’s death, authorities aim to dismantle her network, though experts warn of retaliatory violence. “This isn’t over,” said Novigrad criminologist Dmitry Fedorov. “Her associates—especially those women she empowered—won’t vanish quietly.”

As the manhunt expands, Kournikova’s colleagues vow to continue her work. “Anna knew the risks,” said editor Pavel Zhukov. “But she also knew truth outlives fear.”

For now, Chernarus confronts a stark truth: in its prisons and battlefields, the line between keeper and killer has never been thinner.

Svetlana Golikova is an investigative correspondent for Zelenogorsk Pravda, specializing in organized crime and national security. Reporting contributed by Anton Belov in Novigrad.

This is based on the Arma 3 wargame. The report and reporter are AI generated and represents no individual, living or dead. The text of the transcript, while AI generated, is based on data provided by the channel author

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