Putin's war on free press doesn't seem to be coming to an end any time soon as a Russian journalist working for the nation's last independent news channel is recovering in a hospital after being brutally beaten by two strange men on Friday, reports state.

Ksenia Batanova is a senior producer on the news network called Dozhd, the only channel in Russia to have not entirely succumbed to the will of the government.

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According to reports, the attack occurred as Batanova was walking to her apartment in Moscow. Her assailants hit her repeatedly in the face, causing her to eventually black out from her injuries.

The journalist suffered a skull fracture and a concussion at the hands of her attackers who reportedly said nothing during the incident and took her phone and earrings once she had lost consciousness.

Although the exact reason for the attack remains unclear, many Russian journalists have succumbed to similar brutal assaults, and physical and emotional intimidation of reporters is often considered a commonplace occurrence in the politically tumultuous nation.

Just last month, Russian politician and newspaper publisher Lev Shlosberg claimed he suffered a similar assault in which several individuals attacked him from behind and left him unconscious on the road. Shlosberg believes that the incident occurred due to his investigation into the deaths of local soldiers in Ukraine.

In 2008, journalist Mikhail Beketov paid the ultimate price after he died as the direct result of a vicious attack involving two individuals who beat him with metal rods. Reportedly, Beketov had been investigating a controversial road project at the time of his death.

Dozhd, the news channel which Ksenia Batanova works for, has long been considered an objective light amongst a sea of Russian propaganda. However, it is believed that the station may have prompted government ire through its recent extensive coverage of the soldiers' deaths, which may have in turn led to the horrific assault on Batanova.

Whether there is indeed a connection between Batanova's work and the terrible attack remains to be seen, but in the meantime the channel has seen itself struggling to stay afloat as Russia imposes more and more sanctions in an effort to control the media and the press.

TagsPutin, Russia, press, Free Press, journalist, attack, Assault, ksenia batanova, russian journalist, dozhd