Boris Nemtsov, a charismatic Russian opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down Saturday near the Kremlin, just a day before a planned protest against the government.
Russian police look at the body of Boris Nemtsov, a former Russian deputy prime minister and opposition leader, at Red Square in Moscow on Feb. 28, 2015. Yonhap
The death of Nemtsov, a 55-year-old former deputy prime minister, ignited a fury among opposition figures who assailed the Kremlin for creating an atmosphere of intolerance of any dissent and called the killing an assassination. Putin quickly offered his condolences and called the murder a provocation.
Nemtsov was working on a report presenting evidence that he believed proved Russia's direct involvement in the separatist rebellion that has raged in eastern Ukraine since last April. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of backing the rebels with troops and sophisticated weapons. Moscow denies the accusations.
Putin ordered Russia's top law enforcement chiefs to personally oversee the probe of Nemtsov's killing.
``Putin noted that this cruel murder has all the makings of a contract hit and is extremely provocative,'' presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.
President Barack Obama called on Russia's government to perform a ``prompt, impartial and transparent'' investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. Obama called Nemtsov a ``tireless advocate'' for the rights of Russian citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment