Thousands march in Moscow to mourn slain Nemtsov
70,000 gather to honor Jewish opposition figure, whose Friday killing has shaken country’s beleaguered opposition
Thousands converged Sunday in central Moscow to mourn veteran liberal politician Boris Nemtsov, whose killing on the streets of the capital has shaken Russia’s beleaguered opposition.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of marginalizing and intimidating his political opponents, as some have been jailed and claimed to have been forced into exile. Nemtsov, 55, was among several prominent opposition figures who stayed in Russia and openly challenged the authority of the Russian leader.
The mourners are to march to the bridge near the Kremlin where Nemtsov was gunned down shortly before midnight Friday. The march could serve to energize the opposition, or it could prove to be a brief outpouring of emotions that once again dissipates in a climate characterized by some as fearful.
Whoever was responsible for the slaying, the signal it sends to some is that if Nemtsov can be killed for his political activism then no one is safe. Nemtsov, who was born to a Jewish mother, was a former deputy prime minister and a longtime politician who retained strong ties among Russia’s political and business elite.
Russia’s federal investigative agency said it was looking into several possible motives for his killing.
The first possibility, investigators said, was that the murder was aimed at destabilizing the political situation in Russia and Nemtsov was a “sacrificial victim for those who do not shun any method for achieving their political goals.”
This suggestion echoed comments by Putin’s spokesman and other Russian politicians that the attack was a “provocation” against the state.
Opposition activists had planned a protest rally on Sunday, which the city demanded they hold in a suburban neighborhood. After Nemtsov’s death, they called instead for a demonstration to mourn him in central Moscow. The city gave its quick approval.
