Moscow denies aiding sympathisers in Ukraine, and says heavily armed Russian-speaking troops operating without insignia there are not its men. And while low-level criminals have been detained in some cases, the investigations in Russia never traced back to those who ordered the murders. The Interfax news agency cited an unnamed security service operative as saying the murder was a “provocation,” coming as it did just days before the opposition march. In an interview with the Sobesednik newspaper, Nemtsov said earlier this month that his 86-year old mother was afraid that Putin could have him killed. Mr. Nemtsov was organizing the rally in part because Mr. Navalny is currently serving a two-week jail sentence for handing out leaflets on the subway.
– Russian investigators promise to find the gunmen who murdered Boris Nemtsov within sight of the Kremlin, and the president of Ukraine thinks they won't have far to look. Petro Poroshenko says Nemtsov was poised to release evidence proving that Russia was playing a big role in the Ukraine conflict despite Vladimir Putin's assertions to the contrary, reports Reuters. "He said he would reveal persuasive evidence of the involvement of Russian armed forces in Ukraine," says Poroshenko. "Someone was very afraid of this. ... They killed him." Russian investigators, meanwhile, said they were looking at a range of motives, including the idea that enemies of Putin killed Nemtsov "as a provocation to destabilize the political situation in the country," reports the New York Times. They also made a point to say they would look into his personal life, and state TV emphasized that the 55-year-old was walking with a much younger model when he was shot to death, reports AP. Putin himself sent a message to Nemtsov's mother promising that "everything will be done so that the organizers and perpetrators of a vile and cynical murder get the punishment they deserve.” It did not mention that in a recent interview, Nemtsov talked about how his mother was "truly scared" that Putin would have him killed because of his unrelenting criticism of the Kremlin. Nemtsov supporters plan a march in Moscow tomorrow.