Editorial: Moscow buried hope

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Photo: Pavel Golovkin/AP

Yesterday, they buried Boris Nemtsov in Moscow. A best known figure among Russian opposition, once vice prime minister, was murdered on a near-Kremlin bridge in the eve of February 27th. In Moscow, difficult to find a place more public. But that very night, part of the cameras were switched off. The view of others was blocked by a snow clearing machine – in above zero weather. The killers were sure of immunity.

Not too different from earlier killings, this murder. Governor of Magadan Valentin Tsvetkov was killed on October 18th 2002. Politician Sergei Yushenkov was killed on April 17th 2003. Investigative journalist Yuri Shchekochikhin, having been poisoned, died on July 3rd 2003. A Russia’s leading racism and xenophobia expert Nikolai Girenko was killed on June 21st 2004. Journalist Paul Klebnikov was killed on July 9th 2004. Journalist Anna Politkovskaya was killed on October 7th 2006. Former security service officer Alexander Litvinenko, having been poisoned, died on November 23rd 2006. Human rights activists Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Barburova were killed on January 19th 2009. The body of journalist and human rights activist Natalia Estemirova was found on July 16th 2009. Lawyer Sergei Magnitski died in prison on November 16th 2009. On April 8th 2013, journalist Mikhail Beketov died due to injuries from being beaten.

The list is longer, these are the names more broadly known. Still, the murder of Boris Nemtsov for Russia is somewhat of a milestone. It is extremely difficult to believe that, after murdering a leader of the opposition, Putin’s Russia might ever again be able to move towards a country more democratic. From now on, the road seems to be but one: further away from liberty, further away from human rights, and unavoidably further away also from Europe. Even if easing were to happen regarding Ukraine between Mr Putin and the Western leaders, the gap is tearing wider.

Sure, it just might happen that the murder of Mr Nemtsov alters the understanding in Russia of Putin’s regime. Yet, this is hard to believe. As the earlier killings, this one is already being buried under misleading information. Not surprising that the Kremlin keeps this up. Surprising, though, that the Western media is readily willing to amplify the intentional misinformation. Thus, BBC yesterday published a list of the possible reasons Mr Nemtsov was killed; as equal among others, they stated intervention of foreign intelligence... to say nothing about other theories even more artificial.

On Anniversary of the Republic, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves cited the example of versions suggested the downing of Malaysian airline MH17: Russian rocket, Ukrainian fighter, a plane pre-stuffed with corpses and exploded over Ukraine, UFOs. With are presented as equal «truths», easy for lies to spread.

Even so, there are the events one cannot argue. On February 27th Boris Nemtsov was alive; on March 3rd, he was buried in Moscow’s Troyekurovskoye cemetery. His investigation into Russian military participation in Ukraine was cut short. On the night he was killed, investigators visited Mr Nemtsov’s apartment, taking along documents and computers – rendering continuation of his work nigh impossible for colleagues.

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