Chernovik newspaper sports editor Zaur Gadzhiyev said two young people had assaulted sports correspondent Alexander Polyakov on Sunday between the first and the second floors of his apartment block as he was returning from a local shop. Polyakov suffered head injuries and was hospitalized.
"His life is not in danger. He has filed a report with the police, and a criminal case has been opened on the attack," Gadzhiyev said.
Chernovik staff say the attack could have been connected with Polyakov's professional activities, including with a number of articles on the possible sale of local soccer side Anzhi to businessman and senator Suleiman Kerimov.
"It was after the publication of this material that Polyakov started receiving threatening phone calls," Gadzhiyev said.
On October 23, Mukhu Aliyev, the president of Daghestan, confirmed at a press conference that billionaire Kerimov intended to buy Anzhi. The topic had been widely discussed in the republic for several months beforehand.
Sources in the Daghestani presidential administration said the head of Anzhi was ready to accept the proposal, but Mukhu Aliyev had spoken against the deal and it failed.
Russia remains one of the world's most dangerous countries for reporters. According to data from the international organization Reporters Without Borders, 21 journalists were murdered in Russia between 2000 and 2007.
