'We are all Nemtsov': Stunned Russians mourn murder of Putin critic

Thousands of stunned Russians laid flowers and lit candles on Saturday on the bridge where opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin, a murder that showed the risks of speaking out against President Vladimir Putin. Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back by killers in a white car late on Friday as he walked across the bridge over the Moskva River in central Moscow with a Ukrainian woman, who was unhurt.

Politkovskaya was gunned down. MH17 was shot out of the sky. Now Boris is dead. As always, Kremlin will blame opposition, or CIA, whatever.

Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov now chairman of the Human Rights Foundation

Police sealed off the blood-stained bridge close to the red walls of the Kremlin and Red Square for two hours overnight, then hosed it down as people came to pay tribute to one of Putin’s biggest opponents over Russia’s role in Ukraine. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which answers to Putin, said it was following several lines of inquiry, including that the opposition may have committed the crime to rally support for a march against Kremlin policies on the economy and Ukraine. Flowers were piled at least a metre high, about two metres deep and two metres wide. A piece of white paper saying “We are all Nemtsov” stood among the flowers. Meanwhile, the White House has demanded that the investigation is “prompt, impartial and transparent”.

People are afraid to support our movement. Opposition activists receive threats every day and Boris was no exception. But they won’t stop us.

Opposition activist Mark Galperin

Europe Nemstov