MOSCOW. April 3 (Interfax) - Moscow's Basmanny Court has ruled to keep two suspects in the murder case of Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya in custody.

The court has kept former head of Achkhoi-Martan district of Chechnya Shamil Burayev in custody until September 7.

In addition, the court has ruled to keep in custody until late August two other suspects, Magomed Dimelkhanov and Ibragim Makhmudov.

The court has thus granted a motion by prosecutors, who wanted the two accused kept in custody for another 12 months.

Andrei Chuvelev, Burayev's lawyer, told Interfax that the defense would appeal the ruling of the Basmanny Court.

No investigative actions have been conducted with his client since December 2007, he said.

Novaya Gazeta reporter Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead on October 7, 2006, at the entrance to her apartment block on Lesnaya Street in Moscow.

Charges were brought against nine suspects in the murder case, in particular, charges of aiding and abetting a crime (under the Criminal Code's article 33 and 105) were brought against Dzhabrail Makhmudov. In addition, Tamerlan Makhmudov and Ibragim Makhmudov, as well as Dimelkhanov, have also been accused in the case. Federal Security Service (FSB) Lieut. Col. Pavel Ryaguzov is also a suspect in the case. In late

August 2007, Moscow's Basmanny Court sanctioned the arrest of the suspects.

In September 2007, the Prosecutor General's Office brought charges of aiding and abetting the murder of Politkovskaya against former head of Achkhoi-Martan district of Chechnya Shamil Burayev. He is also in custody.