An array of political figures, inside and outside Russia, called Friday night's gangland-style killing of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow a political provocation, staged against President Vladimir Putin and Russia as a whole.
Nizhny Novgorod governor and deputy prime minister in the 1990s, and more recently a liberal non-parliamentary opposition figure, Nemtsov was shot as he walked home with a companion across a central Moscow bridge, shortly before midnight.
The shooter or shooters escaped by car. The Anglo-American press was joined by leaders of the Kiev regime in immediately blaming Putin.
On Saturday the Kremlin announced Putin's order to the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Security Service (FSB), and Russian Investigative Committee to take personal charge of the investigation:
"President stated that this cruel murder has all the markings of a contract crime and is absolutely provocational in nature."
Later, Putin's condolence message to Nemtsov's mother was released.
Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin announced that several possibilities are being investigated:
"First of all, of course, there is the possibility that this murder may have been a provocation to destabilise the situation in the country. The version that the murder might be connected with an Islamic extremist track is also being thoroughly analysed.
This is because of information received, that Nemtsov had been threatened in connection with his position on the shooting at the Charlie Hebdo editorial offices in Paris.
In addition, the version connected with internal Ukrainian events will be, and already is being checked.
It is no secret that there are radical individuals, answering to no authorities, on both sides in that conflict. Of course, we also do not exclude other versions, connected with Nemtsov's business activity, personal hatred of him, or several other daily-life versions."
Responses to the murder, warning of "provocation", included the following.
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachov:
"The assassination of Boris Nemtsov is an attempt to complicate the situation in the country, even to destabilise it by ratcheting up tensions between the government and the opposition. Just who did this is hard to say, let's not jump to any conclusions right now and give the investigators time to sort this all out." (Sputnik News)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov:
"With all due respect to the memory of Boris Nemtsov, he was no political threat to the current leadership of Russia or Vladimir Putin. Compared with the popularity of Putin, or the government as a whole, Boris Nemtsov's was hardly greater than that of the average citizen."
Noting Nemtsov's opposition to Putin's policies, however, Peskov said that the murder could well have been a provocation "in the context of the very emotional, loaded situation around the events in Ukraine. Obviously Boris Nemtsov was an opposition figure, with rather close contacts with various people in Kiev, and he often visited there; it's no secret, everybody knows that." (RIA Novosti, Kommersant-FM)
Irina Khakamada, former colleague of Nemtsov in the Union of Right Forces:
"This murder is a cruel act of aggression.... I believe that this could only have been done by either groups who do political provocations, or some kind of 'Black Hundred' gang of very limited people who believe that all is permitted." (Channel One Russia)
Vitali Tretyakov, renowned editor and media specialist:
"If someone kills an opposition politician, the first thing that is done is to blame the government of the country where it happened, .... as the pretext for a broader campaign against that country. It's such a typical operating procedure, that I'm sure it will be the same in this case." (Channel One Russia)
Paul Craig Roberts, formerly of the Treasury Department and the Hoover Institution:
"Nemtsov's death will likely be blamed on Putin. The Western media will repeat endlessly, with no evidence, that Putin had his critic killed. I can tell you one thing, and that is that Putin is much too smart to play into Washington's hands in this way. Moreover, Nemtsov, although a loud mouth, had no impact on Putin's 85% approval rating. Nemtsov's support resided in the Washington-funded NGOs in Russia." (paulcraigroberts.org)
Anglo-American press coverage was typified by the New York Times headline, "Boris Nemtsov, Putin Foe, Is Shot Dead in Shadow of Kremlin."
In Ukraine, where Nemtsov a decade ago was an adviser to Orange Revolution President Victor Yushchenko, the current, post-coup President Petro Poroshenko Saturday declared that Nemtsov was killed because "he was preparing to reveal convincing proof of the participation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine," Zerkalo Nedeli reported.
