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Russian Opposition Politician Boris Nemtsov Shot Dead In Moscow

February 27, 2015
by RFE/RL

Boris Nemtsov, a prominent Russian opposition politician and former deputy prime minister, has been shot dead in Moscow.

Russia's Interior Ministry has confirmed that Nemtsov was killed on Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge close to the Kremlin on the evening of February 27.

Nemtsov, 55, was a sharp critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, assailing the government's inefficiency, rampant corruption, and the Kremlin's policy on Ukraine.

In a recent interview, Nemtsov had voiced fears that Putin would have him killed because of his opposition to the war in Ukraine.

'We confirm that a man has been killed in the center of Moscow, on whom documents in the name of Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov have been found,' the Interior Ministry press center said.

The ministry said Nemtsov was killed by four shots fired from a passing car.

Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Alekseyeva said Nemtsov was walking with a girl from Ukraine when he was shot dead. Police are working with the woman, she said.

Putin condemned Nemtsov's 'cruel' murder and said it may have been a contract killing, Russian news agencies quoted his spokesman as saying.

Dmitry Peskov said the shooting could also be a 'provocation.'

U.S. President Barack Obama said that the United States condemns Nemtsov's 'brutal murder.'

The White House statement also called on the Russian government to conduct a 'prompt, impartial, and transparent investigation' and to 'ensure those responsible are brought to justice.'

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wrote on Twitter: 'Shock. They killed Boris. It's hard to believe. I have no doubt the killers will be found. Sooner or later. Eternal memory...'

Speaking to RFE/RL's Russian Service, Nemtsov's lawyer Vadim Prokhorov said Nemtsov had received threats many times, mainly through social networks.

'Whoever pulled the trigger, Boris Nemtsov was killed by the political regime,' Prokhorov said. 'It is necessary to work out who killed Nemtsov, but these kinds of murders are going to happen if we hear words from the upper echelons that those who want to see Russia in Europe are national traitors,' he added.

Dmitry Gudkov, an opposition lawmaker with the Just Russia party, wrote on Twitter, 'This is clearly a political killing. If it wasn't ordered, it was the result of the hatred propagandized by our authorities.'

Nemtsov's death came just two days before a planned protest against Putin's rule, which organizers hope will be one of the largest in months.

Peskov said Putin had been quickly informed of the killing and that the president had expressed his condolences and ordered the Investigative Committee, the Interior Ministry, and the Federal Security Service to form an investigative group.

Peskov said Putin will keep the investigation under personal control.

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee, said investigators were questioning witnesses and examining the crime scene.

Chess champion and fellow Putin critic Garry Kasparov tweeted, referring to Putin's statement that the killing may have been a provocation:

In the run-up to last year's Sochi Winter Olympics, Nemtsov authored reports alleging massive corruption in preparation for the games and other projects.

Once considered a potential successor to Russia's first post-Soviet president, Boris Yeltsin, Nemstov became an opposition politician and fierce Putin critic.

He rose to prominence as the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and became a vice premier in the late 1990s, during the last years of Yeltsin's presidency.

Nemtsov left the Duma, Russia's parliament, in 2003, and founded and led several opposition parties and groups, the latest being the Republican Party of Russia -- People's Freedom Party.

In one of the first international reactions to the killing, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said in a tweet:

Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, also reacted to the murder on Twitter: 'I am shocked and appalled key opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot. Killers must be brought to justice.'

Nemtsov told Russia's Sobesednik news website earlier this month that he feared for his own life.

'I'm afraid Putin will kill me,' he said on February 10.

Nemtsov said of Putin, 'I believe that he was the one who unleashed the war in Ukraine. I couldn't dislike him more.'

And in a blog posted on the website of liberal radio station Echo Moskvy just hours before he was gunned down, Nemtsov urged Muscovites to attend the opposition rally 'against Putin's aggression' in Ukraine on March 1.

Ukraine and the West have accused Putin of being behind the war in eastern Ukraine -- a charge he denies.

With reporting by Interfax, TASS, and Ren-TV

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/nemtsov-death/26873635.html

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Russian Opposition Politician Boris Nemtsov Shot Dead In Moscow