Russian opposition politician may have been shot dead by Putin allies, Islamic extremists

Russian police are on the hunt for the killers of Boris Nemstov, the Russian opposition politician, who was shot dead in the shadow of the Kremlin’s towers late on Friday night, but his friends and political partners say they fear the real killers will never be brought to justice.

Many of those close to Nemstov believe the 55-year-old former deputy prime minister was killed either for his opposition to Vladimir Putin, or by nationalist forces reacting to a long propaganda campaign on state-controlled television calling the political opposition traitors.

However, a statement from the Investigative Committee, which has Vladimir Putin as its executive, said Nemstov may have been a “sacrificial victim for those who do not shun any method for achieving their political goals.” The Committee also said that it was looking into a number of possible motives, including Mr Nemtsov's opposition to the Ukraine war, his political and personal life, Islamic extremism or an attempt to destabilise the state.

Nemstov - one of Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics – was shot four times near the Kremlin while walking with a woman after several got out of a car and confronted him. Putin condemned the killing, dubbing the murder as “vile and cynical,” and, through his spokesman Dmitry Peskov, suggested the shooting could be a “provocation,” coming just a day before a planned anti-government Spring March protest that Nemstov helped to organise.

Instead, his supporters will now be marching to mourn his death. Mourners have also laid wreaths on the spot where Nemstov was shot.  Many believe that Nemstov was killed for his political views and blame President Putin for fanning the flames of nationalism to dangerous heights, where political dissidents are now seen as traitors - the "enemy within."

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin had noted "that this cruel murder has all the makings of a contract hit and is extremely provocative".

The Committee announced it was considering whether there was "personal enmity" towards the politician in his private life as state-controlled television gave considerable attention to the woman he was gunned down in front of, identifying her as a Ukrainian model 30 years his junior.

Officials did not address accusations by the former Deputy Prime Minister’s supporters that he was killed for being one of Putin’s most prominent critics.

Mr Nemtsov was reportedly preparing documents on Russian military involvement in Ukraine in the weeks before his death.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said: "Boris had declared he would provide clear evidence of Russian armed forces' participation in [the war] in Ukraine. Somebody was afraid of this... They killed him."

Speaking to a Russian news website on 10 February, Nemstov said he feared for his life, and spoke of his fear that he would be killed by Putin. Hours before his death, Nemtsov denounced the President’s policies as "mad, aggressive and deadly" and was due to lead an anti-government Spring March on Sunday protesting against the Kremlin’s alleged involvement and the economic crisis in Russia.