oris 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.
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.
Boris Nemtsov
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