No Hollywood director could have framed the grim scene better—or freighted it with more symbolism. On a drizzly Moscow night, a gunman follows Boris Nemtsov, a prominent political critic, and his girlfriend across a lonely bridge. Six shots are fired. As the victim lies bleeding, the domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin tower behind him. The message is clear: So die all enemies of the regime.
But who sent the message? And who was the message intended for—Russia’s beleaguered opposition or President Vladimir Putin? The simplest explanation—and the one that most leaders of Russia’s liberal opposition believe—is that the …read more
Source: Newsweek
