Nemtsov's friends ask: where were the police when he was shot?

[uhnope]

Source: Reuters

...
Accounts gathered by Reuters from opposition activists and Nemtsov's friends raise questions about state security agencies' actions in the minutes before and after the attack on Nemtsov.

Those sources say they believe Russian security agencies, which run close surveillance on many prominent opposition figures, especially in the run-up to a protest, were monitoring Nemtsov, who was organizing a rally due to take place two days after his death. That surveillance, they said, included the tapping of phone conversations and security agents at times physically tailing opposition figures. They said they knew of the practice because in the past their telephone conversations had been posted on the Internet.

In addition, people with experience of trying to stage protests close to the Kremlin said the area is under 24 hour monitoring from closed circuit cameras and a heavy concentration of police and security service agents, making it one of the most tightly protected places in Russia. It was not possible to independently establish whether Nemtsov was under surveillance at the time of his killing, or that the area was being monitored by state security. It is possible surveillance data has been passed to investigators, but not made public. Reuters sent detailed questions about the circumstances of the killing to the Investigative Committee, the state body leading the investigation, and to the Federal Security Service (FSB), the main state security agency. They did not respond.

The issue of surveillance may be crucial to understanding who could have killed Nemtsov, say his friends. Given the level of security normally in place, the killing could only have been done by trained killers acting with the possible involvement or acquiescence of some part of the security services, say several of Nemtsov's associates.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/06/us-russia-nemtsov-surveillance-insight-idUSKBN0M225820150306

---

Putin's Russia kills liberals. Simple as that.

[geek tragedy]

1. this was obvoiusly done with the assistance of some elements of the Russian state.

Motives can be less easy to parse out, since Russia is one of the most corrupt governments, ever, so the hit could have been on behalf of anyone. Putin certainly is on any rational short list of suspects.

But state involvement is pretty obvious.

[cstanleytech]

2. Oh it wouldnt surprise me in the least if Putin ordered it done or indirectly but

thats just my opinion, proving it though for certain...........well lets just say I probably would have better odds at winning the powerball this year.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. Pulling the trigger?

[friendly_iconoclast]

4. Studiously looking away?

[moondust]

5. Nina Khrushcheva, great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev,

suggests some "mid-level security personnel" could have done it or maybe somebody just wanting to "please the tsar."

http://on.msnbc.com/1B8oOrI

Probably some official involvement at some level. I suppose Putin could simply let an aide know that Nemtsov was starting to irritate him and the aide knows who to call.