Boris Nemtsov, liberal opposition leader Russia, assassinated

[Sasha]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/28/world/europe/boris-nemtsov-russian-opposition-leader-is-shot-dead.html

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/28/world/europe/boris-nemtsov-russian-opposition-leader-is-shot-dead.html

Oh wow

[Dire Helix]

The liberal rag fails to mention that along with Yeltsin, Gaidar and Chubais, Nemtsov was among the most despised Russian political figures in recent history whose name was tightly associated with the "ideals of the 90s" and the utter destruction that liberal reforms laid to entire sectors of economy impoverishing millions in the process.

That said, he's been a political corpse for well over a decade now, one of the leaders of the anemic "liberal opposition", completely irrelevant outside of that marginal circle jerk.

[Sasha]

Still relevant enough to get assasinated though.....

[John Nada]

The investigative committee of the prosecutor’s office said gunmen shot Mr. Nemtsov four times in the back as he walked over the bridge, and by accident or design theatrically placed his body on the wet asphalt with the Kremlin visible behind. No suspects have been reported to be in custody.This shit is weird. It seems that the assassins waited till he was very close to and in view of the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral, a couple days before he was going to lead a protest(which, if I remember correctly, legally requires a permit from government) against the proxy War in Ukraine, while walking with a Ukrainian model. He was likely under surveillance due to once being a prominent opposition figure and planning said protest. And he had a lot of enemies.

I wonder what will happen? So many possible suspects, and a lot of possible motives.:confused:.

[BITW434]

I don't doubt that Putin is bad enough to kill this guy, but he just isn't mad enough. This Nemtsov bloke came from a party with a grand total of 0 seats in the State Duma, so he was hardly a significant threat. Putin isn't stupid enough to risk creating something out of nothing.

[Red Commissar]

I hadn't heard of the guy before today, but looking at him he seemed to've been instrumental in helping create Russia in the post-Soviet years, particularly with the shock therapy "reforms". Interestingly, Nemstov co-wrote an editorial defending Putin when he first became president, seeing him as important to continue Russia's market reforms while creating stable state institutions. Of course, like others who had supported Putin initially he later broke with him, but still it was an odd thing to find:

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/05/opinion/russia-s-best-bet.html


Russia's Best Bet
By Boris Nemtsov and Ian Bremmer
Published: January 5, 2000

Vladimir Putin has seamlessly replaced Boris Yeltsin as leader of Russia, moving quickly to take advantage of his high approval ratings and his party's bolstered support in parliament. This is quite an accomplishment for a government that lacked a popular mandate only a month ago.

Yet many in the United States have expressed doubts about Russia's new acting president.

For one, it has been widely noted that Mr. Putin, a former K.G.B. officer, was a virtual unknown until Mr. Yeltsin made him his prime minister in August and that his Unity Party did not even exist then. The truth is, being an unknown is not only a distinct political advantage in Russia, it was a necessity for Mr. Putin, who had to amass credible popular support in a political culture tarred by cynicism and disillusionment. He neither made nor carried out government policies in the last few years, so he wasn't responsible for any of the mistakes.

Some critics have questioned Mr. Putin's commitment to democracy. True, he is no liberal democrat, domestically or internationally. Under his leadership Russia will not become France. The government will, however, reflect the Russian people's desire for a strong state, a functioning economy, and an end to tolerance for robber barons -- in short, a ''ruble stops here'' attitude. Russia could do considerably worse than have a leader with an unwavering commitment to the national interest.

And it is difficult to see how to do better.

Russia's neighbors grasp the importance of this point. The other former Soviet republics lauded Mr. Putin's appointment, mostly because of the pragmatism he demonstrated when serving as secretary of Russia's security council. His reaction to the formation of the ''counter-Russia'' alliance of Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova was to state that Russia should craft a regional policy palatable to its neighbors.

In addition, Mr. Putin's vocal support for a free-market economy boosted the prospects of reform candidates in the parliamentary elections last month and provided a firm footing for meaningful economic reform to be passed this year.

The reformers are back. Given that the Communists' support comes overwhelmingly from those over the age of 50, the party's clout will diminish with each passing year. December's elections were undoubtedly the last in which the Communists will receive a plurality.

At the same time, a new middle class led by small- and medium-sized business owners is beginning to assert itself. And Russia is finally developing a political system that can begin to shape the direction of change instead of simply damming its tide.

A framework for real market democracy -- property rights especially -- can now be put in place, making entrepreneurialism less expensive and therefore less beholden to the oligarchs who held far too much sway under Mr. Yeltsin.

This maturation should gradually continue, eventually leading to stable parties with consistent platforms, a system of checks and balances and a real separation of powers.

Boris Nemtsov is a member of the Russian parliament and a former first deputy prime minister. Ian Bremmer is president of Eurasia Group.

[Die Neue Zeit]

The liberal rag fails to mention that along with Yeltsin, Gaidar and Chubais

With the anti-liberal climate in Russia now, are Gaidar and Chubais next on whoever's hit list?

[Sasha]

I don't doubt that Putin is bad enough to kill this guy, but he just isn't mad enough. This Nemtsov bloke came from a party with a grand total of 0 seats in the State Duma, so he was hardly a significant threat. Putin isn't stupid enough to risk creating something out of nothing.


if this was Putin ('s umfeld) i doubt this was about this guy being an electoral threat, its clear though that when it comes to Putins adventures in Ukraine, as before with the Chechen wars (the assassinations of Anna Politkovskaya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Politkovskaya) and Alexander Litvinenko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Litvinenko) etc) there are no limits on how far they are willing to go to protect their imperial adventures.
Im sure the victim was, being an ex-vice premier, connected enough to still be informed on dirt about the Russian involvement in the Ukrainian war, maybe he was going to expose that during/after the planned march.

[BITW434]

if this was Putin ('s umfeld) i doubt this was about this guy being an electoral threat, its clear though that when it comes to Putins adventures in Ukraine, as before with the Chechen wars (the assassinations of Anna Politkovskaya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Politkovskaya) and Alexander Litvinenko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Litvinenko) etc) there are no limits on how far they are willing to go to protect their imperial adventures.
Im sure the victim was, being an ex-vice premier, connected enough to still be informed on dirt about the Russian involvement in the Ukrainian war, maybe he was going to expose that during/after the planned march.
If someone like Boris Nemtsov who has been politically dead for years was able to get hold of exclusive information which was compromising to Putin I'd be very surprised. And even if he had, killing him wouldn't remove the actual source of the dirt and would actually have the opposite effect of drawing attention to it, would it not?

[Antiochus]

What could he possibly have exposed about the war in Donbass? You have to be literally blind, deaf and dumb to not know about the Russian invasion.

[Destroyer of Illusions]

Well,Nemtsov is killed on the altar of the liberal opposition.But Nemtsov is nothing for the Russians.

So what is the next step in the logic of the US State Department manuals? What will make a further destabilisation ?

Perhaps "unknown snipers" at the meeting of the 1st of March? The opposition needs a bloodshed.

We shall see soon.

[The Disillusionist]

Here's my crazy theory that I just thought up in 30 seconds without knowing almost any of the context besides what has been hinted at in this thread:

Some members of the "anemic" liberal opposition realize that their leader is washed up and ineffectual, and so decide to kill him in a way that suggests that Putin may have been involved, thus giving their party legitimacy in the public eye again.

Of course, Putin is an asshole, but as BITW said, he's probably too smart to make so much ado about nothing. However, governments do have a rather irrational track record when faced with threats to their own power, so I suppose Putin's involvement isn't entirely implausible.

[Dire Helix]

With the anti-liberal climate in Russia now, are Gaidar and Chubais next on whoever's hit list?

This country is run by liberals and Putin is their king. The so-called "liberal opposition" is another matter entirely. At some point Nemtsov bet on Putin and supported him heavily as a "hope for the healthy right-wing forces in Russia". Perhaps, the single biggest misstep in his political career. When Putin came into his own, he assembled his own team, largely consisting of people whom he had previously worked with in 80s and 90s. Nemtsov, who at some point was being considered as an heir to Yeltsin, was discarded like trash and left by the wayside without his share of the pie, hence the formation of the "opposition".

Yegor Gaidar, the chief architect of the post-Soviet economic system was not in opposition to the government. He died a few years ago in his sleep from a heart attack. Following his death, a prestigious government-held Gaidar Economic Forum was established in his memory. Gaidar is an icon of Russian capitalism and is constantly praised and glorified by the official propaganda.

Anatoly Chubais, Gaidar's accomplice in the privatisation of state assets, is not in opposition to the government either. He still pulls a lot of water here and is allegedly involved in a number of shady financial schemes.

A bit more on Nemtsov... Aside from being one of "Yeltsin's vanguard", he will no doubt be remembered by most people for his opulent lifestyle, non-stop sexual debauchery, wild orgies with expensive prostitutes in Dubai and Switzerland and the preference for younger-than-his-first-daughter models as sex partners. Nemtsov was killed while on his way home, accompanied by a 23-years-old Ukrainian model, the final testament to his hedonistic life.

http://abload.de/img/e86639a9c3d417d1ec0741juoz.jpg

^
This man called Communists moral degenerates and argued for the complete removal of all communist names from the toponyms.

[Sasha]

if this was Putin ('s umfeld) i doubt this was about this guy being an electoral threat, its clear though that when it comes to Putins adventures in Ukraine, as before with the Chechen wars (the assassinations of Anna Politkovskaya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Politkovskaya) and Alexander Litvinenko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Litvinenko) etc) there are no limits on how far they are willing to go to protect their imperial adventures.
Im sure the victim was, being an ex-vice premier, connected enough to still be informed on dirt about the Russian involvement in the Ukrainian war, maybe he was going to expose that during/after the planned march.


If someone like Boris Nemtsov who has been politically dead for years was able to get hold of exclusive information which was compromising to Putin I'd be very surprised. And even if he had, killing him wouldn't remove the actual source of the dirt and would actually have the opposite effect of drawing attention to it, would it not?

seems it was def his angle though, here is his last interview; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/11441780/Boris-Nemtsov-Final-interview-given-by-Putin-critic-just-hours-before-his-murder-in-full.html

seems a lot more likely he was shot by someone over zealous in the fsb-putin clique than by the opposition in a falseflag martyr publicity stunt...

[John Nada]

Since we're all guessing, I just thought of one. What if he paid a hit-men to kill himself, so he could be bigger in death than in life? A suicide.:confused:

For all we know, it could've had nothing to do with anything publicly know, or even political. It could be because he gave someone a dirty look. Or because of his role in implementing neo-liberalism, fucking up so many lives? Or they didn't like his shirt, or chosen at random? We don't know.

Although, TBH I'm leaning towards false-flag.:unsure:
Nemtsov: I will explain ... The most important reason for the crisis is aggression, followed by sanctions, followed by isolation and Russia being deprived of modern technology… I want to stress that it's not just about money. Russia has been deprived of really important technology. For example… Russia cannot develop shale oil and gas, although we have the biggest reserves of shale gas in the world – Russia is number one – precisely because Russia is forbidden to import technology. It's a big blow for the country. There's no investment, $150 billion fled the country and that's all a consequence of this madness called 'aggression against Ukraine.' The reason for the crisis is, of course, war…It's the fucking shale gas companies!:ohmy: The flammable water people! They have no regard for human life or the environment. What's one person to them?
Larina: We demand to pass a law about the enrichment of officials… Nemtsov: No, next.:laugh:

[Palmares]

Nemtsov was killed while on his way home, accompanied by a 23-years-old Ukrainian model

So while he was killed... what was this Ukrainian model doing? Had she left him already? Or watched it happen?

I've watched enough Jame Bond movies to know, Nemtsov musta been a MI6 operative, and the Commie Ruskies sent this femme fatale to whoop his arse. Case closed.


Seriously though, I'm skeptical that Putin is involved. If he is, it seems like a fairly tactless move. Though, if anything, it would more clearly spell out what could happen to you if you oppose the government.

Maybe I'll do some research and see what the wingnuts are saying too. :lol:

[Stirnerian]

I have seen it suggested on more 'mainstream' political outlets that this might have been ordered by an eager-to-please Putinist underling, rather than the man himself. This functionary, so the theory goes, so wanted to curry favor with the capo that he ordered a Hollywood-style mob hit to 'send a message' to the regime's enemies.

It strikes me as plausible, though unproven. As ruthless as Putin is, I think he's a little more competent than this, and whilst I'm certain he's not shedding any tears over Nemtsov - and neither am I, for an entirely different reason - I don't think he'd do this himself.

[khad]

The liberal rag fails to mention that along with Yeltsin, Gaidar and Chubais, Nemtsov was among the most despised Russian political figures in recent history whose name was tightly associated with the "ideals of the 90s" and the utter destruction that liberal reforms laid to entire sectors of economy impoverishing millions in the process.

That said, he's been a political corpse for well over a decade now, one of the leaders of the anemic "liberal opposition", completely irrelevant outside of that marginal circle jerk.
Political corpse doesn't even begin to describe him. By the end he was even jumping into bed with that National Bolshevik (Nazbol) leader Eduard Limonov in that failed oppositionist front with Garry Kasparov.

Some interesting selections from this article:
http://pando.com/2015/03/02/boris-nemtsov-death-of-a-russian-liberal/


Deep down Nemtsov had no problem with Putin’s authoritarianism. His problem with Putin came after being ignored for too long. As George Washington University professor Peter Reddaway wrote in his book on the dark Yeltsin years, “The Tragedy of Russia’s Reforms: Market Bolshevism Against Democracy (http://www.amazon.com/The-Tragedy-Russias-Reforms-Bolshevism/dp/1929223064)”, Nemtsov supported a Yeltsin proposal in 1993 to create an unelected upper chamber, the Federation Council, consisting of appointed oligarchs, in order to marginalize the then-powerful, opposition-dominated Supreme Soviet parliament. One of the reasons Yeltsin brought him into his government in 1997 was to protect Yeltsin and the all-powerful presidency, as enshrined in the authoritarian 1993 constitution — the same presidential powers that allowed Putin to become who he is. As Yeltsin’s presidential power was being threatened again by the Duma, Nemtsov made his position on reducing presidential powers clear: “For Russia, the weakening of presidential power would be extremely deleterious. Those who insist on transforming Russia into a parliamentary republic are consciously or unconsciously pushing the country toward chaos.”


Nemtsov was recruited by Yeltsin because, unlike Yavlinsky, he believes in the salutary role of authoritarian institutions for Russia, be they monarchical or presidential. This view is evident from Nemtsov’s book, in which Yeltsin is depicted as a ‘genuine Russian tsar.’


After Putin won with the support of the free-market liberals, Nemtsov remained happy for the next few years as a leading voice in the Duma. Even after his liberal party got hammered in the 2003 elections, Nemtsov remained in the loyal opposition. But over time Putin had no need for a discredited liberal from the Yeltsin era, and by 2007, Nemtsov started warming up to the more radical opposition led by our former eXile columnist Eduard Limonov and chessmaster Garry Kasparov. Still, up through 2008 — when I was last in Russia before the Kremlin closed my paper and one of their goons made some scary pronouncements over the radio about me — Nemtsov, like the other leading 90s-era liberals, hedged his opposition to Putin. He never seemed willing to burn all of his bridges with the Kremlin and go all-in as a radical oppositionist, not like Limonov anyway.

[The Red Star Rising]

I personally have doubts that Putin's behind this. If Putin wants you dead his assassins are much more professional or fancy in their methods. In addition, Boris has essentially been a political nobody for years, an impotent old man yelling at clouds hoping to shift their path. Putin doesn't really have much if anything to gain from his death given that nobody really listened to him in the first place and killing him would probably just make him a martyr. Now could it have been a Pro-Putin murder rather than a Putin backed one? Oh quite certainly, Russia shows a frightening degree of solidarity with the man and he's seen as currently being able to do no wrong. It's very likely that someone wanted to show how big their boner for Putin was by killing one of his critics.

[Palmares]

They're arrested a suspect:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/08/boris-nemtsov-five-suspects-appear-in-court-over-opposition-leaders-killing