Lyudmila Vasilyeva after laying flowers at the Solovetsky Stone, a monument to the victims of political repression in the Soviet Union, on the 11th anniversary of Boris Nemtsov's murder. Photo: Bumaga
People in the Russian capital have been laying flowers at the site of the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov on the 11th anniversary of his death, independent news outlet RusNews reported on Friday.
RusNews said special police had been on duty at the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge in central Moscow since the morning, checking the ID of anyone who came to pay their respects. Volunteers were also forbidden from standing at the impromptu memorial more than one at a time.
Nemtsov, widely tipped as a future leader of the country at the height of his popularity in the 1990s, was shot dead on the bridge 11 years ago. According to investigators, Nemtsov was under surveillance and the attackers knew the route he would be taking that evening.
Five suspects — Zaur Dadayev, Anzon and Shadid Gubashev, Temirlan Eskerkhanov and Khamzat Bakhaev — were found guilty of his murder, receiving sentences ranging from 11 to 20 years. The investigation named Ruslan Mukhudinov as the man behind the murder. He is at large and remains on the international wanted list. The investigation was condemned as ineffective by the European Court of Human Rights.
Other cities across Russia also saw commemorative actions in honour of Nemtsov. In Russia’s second city, St. Petersburg, veteran protestor Lyudmila Vasilyeva laid flowers at the Solovetsky Stone, a monument to the victims of political repression in the Soviet Union. There, too, police were on duty, independent news outlet Bumaga reported.
“Young people go to [honour] Navalny, but not Nemtsov, but we must honour him too,” Vasilyeva told Bumaga. Vasilyeva was born in wartime Leningrad when the city was under siege by the Nazis. She has been detained several times at anti-war and opposition rallies, most recently in December.
In late May, Vasilyeva was fined 10,000 rubles (€110) for “discrediting the army” after staging a solo picket at the Gostiny Dvor shopping centre in central St. Petersburg, carrying a banner saying: “People, let’s stop the war! We are responsible for peace on planet Earth”. In 2024, Vasilyeva was nominated for the post of governor of St. Petersburg.
