page_title: Assassination of Boris Nemtsov
section_title: UN member and observer states
hierarchical_section_title: Assassination of Boris Nemtsov / Reactions / UN member and observer states
caption_attribution_description: English: Moscow march for Boris Nemtsov.The sign says «Heroes don't die» Italiano: Marcia in memoria di Boris Nemtsov svoltasi sul ponte Bolshoy Moskvoretsky di Mosca il 1° marzo 2015. Tra i manifestanti è presente Michail Michajlovič Kas'janovLo striscione recita «Gli eroi non muoiono» Русский: Марш памяти Бориса Немцова в Москве. “ герои не умирают ”
context_page_description: The assassination of Boris Nemtsov, a Russian politician opposed to the government of Vladimir Putin, happened in central Moscow on Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge at 23:31 local time on 27 February 2015. An unknown assailant fired seven or eight shots from a Makarov pistol; four of them hit Boris Nemtsov in the head, heart, liver and stomach, killing him almost instantly. He died hours after appealing to the public to support a march against Russia's war in Ukraine. Nemtsov's Ukrainian partner Anna Duritskaya survived the attack as its sole eyewitness.
  The assassination was met with worldwide condemnation and concern for the situation of the Russian opposition. Russian authorities also condemned the murder and vowed to conduct a thorough investigation.
  On 8 March 2015, Russian authorities charged Anzor Gubashev and Zaur Dadaev, both originating from the Northern Caucasus, with involvement in the crime. According to Russian authorities, Dadaev confessed to involvement in the murder. However, he later retracted his statement, as extracted by torture.
context_section_description: Russian Federation:
  The President, Vladimir Putin, sent a telegram addressed to "Dina Yakovlevna Eydman, mother of Boris Nemtsov", expressing his condolences and adding, "We will do everything to ensure that the perpetrators of this vile and cynical crime and those who stand behind them are properly punished."
  Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev expressed his condolences to the families.
  Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the murder was a 'filthy' crime and it would be investigated with utmost vigor.
  Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov accused western agencies saying "Boris Nemtsov was killed in the center of Moscow. Only those forces interested in fomenting tensions could take such a treacherous step. The organizers of Nemtsov's murder hoped to make the whole world blame the leadership of the country and to cause a wave of protests. There is no doubt that Nemtsov's murder was organized by Western intelligence services, seeking any means to cause internal conflict in Russia." He also stated that he wants to see the perpetrators of the attack brought to justice and expressed his condolences to the victim's relatives.
  Ukraine:
  President Petro Poroshenko: "Shock. They killed Boris. It's hard to believe. I have no doubt the killers will be found. Sooner or later. Eternal memory ..." "He said he would reveal persuasive evidence of the involvement of Russian armed forces in Ukraine. Someone was very afraid of this ... They killed him." On 3 March 2015, he posthumously awarded Nemtsov with the Order of Liberty.
  Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk: "Patriot of Russia, at same time a friend of Ukraine. This is what will remain in our memory of Boris Nemtsov. RIP."
  Armenia:
  The ruling Republican Party issued a statement that said: "We hope Russia’s law enforcement agencies will punish those who committed the crime as quickly as possible and with the utmost strictness of the law".
  Canada: 
  Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that he was "shocked and saddened" and called the murder a "shameful act of violence".
  Estonia: 
  President Toomas Hendrik Ilves expressed his condolences over the death of "a personal friend and a friend of Estonia, who was a great democrat and a courageous fighter for freedom".
  Finland: 
  President Sauli Niinistö stated that "the murder of Boris Nemtsov was a ferocious and reprehensible act". He suspected political reasons behind the killing and expressed his worries over the consequences.
  Latvia: 
  Minister for Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs wrote on Twitter that the "murder of Boris Nemtsov is a proof of the lunacy that rules in Russia". Expressing his condolences to the family, he also stated that "there's a very little hope for an objective investigation".
  Lithuania: 
  President Dalia Grybauskaitė said the "murder of Boris Nemtsov shows that Russia is sliding down into the darkness of terror against its own people".
  United States: 
  President Barack Obama called Nemtsov's death a "brutal murder" and called for a "prompt, impartial and transparent investigation".
  Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States had no information on the murder of Nemtsov and "wouldn't comment anyway".
  Deputy Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and former United States Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow connected assassination of Nemtsov with the 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine:"... President Putin’s aim seems to be to turn Ukraine into a failed state and to suppress and discredit alternative voices in Russia, so as to prevent a Russian “Maidan”. We’ve seen that the victims are not just in Eastern Ukraine, with the brutal murder of Boris Nemtsov last Friday. While we don't know who pulled the trigger, we do know that Boris Nemtsov was a powerful voice for democracy and against Russia's involvement in Ukraine who was among those vilified as “traitors” and “fifth columnists” in Russia's official propaganda ..."
  Germany:
  Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the killing of Nemtsov, describing the incident as "a vile murder" and urging Russian authorities to find and punish those r
caption: March in memory of Boris Nemtsov in Moscow, 1 March 2015. Banner reads as following: "Heroes don't die."
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