The European Union is "deeply concerned" by the attack on leading Russian journalist Oleg Kashin, which left him in intensive care, an EU spokeswoman said Monday, DPA reported.
Kashin was beaten up by two unknown assailants outside his flat in Moscow on Saturday. He was left with a broken jaw, two broken legs and internal injuries.
The EU feels "very deep concern at the brutal and, it might appear, premeditated attack on the Russian journalist on Saturday," spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told journalists in Brussels.
Kashin was a high-profile correspondent with leading daily Kommersant, and was well-known for his criticism of the democratic process and of corruption in his homeland.
The attack could "be interpreted as an attempt to silence the journalist," Kocijancic said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has demanded that investigators give top priority to the Kashin case. He is due to meet EU leaders at a summit in early December.
The EU "notes" the president's call, Kocijancic said. The EU regularly raises questions of press freedom in meetings with Russian officials, she said.
Journalists have repeatedly been attacked or even murdered in Russia in recent years. The most prominent case was that of Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead outside her flat in 2006.