Boris Nemtsov, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, was murdered on his walk back home from a restaurant on early Friday night. The murder occurred, almost symbolically, right outside of the Kremlin, the Russian government’s main headquarters.

Already, many are speculating as to the plotters of the assassination. Here are some of the theories going around.

1) It was Putin.

Nemtsov was shot in the back mere hours after delivering a speech which requested support for his opposition to Putin’s war in Ukraine. Nemtsov was organizing a march which was to be held this coming Sunday to oppose the war in Ukraine.

The march this coming Sunday was also meant to protest against Putin’s economic policies, making the whole matter incredibly sketchy, Putin-wise. Meanwhile, the investigation into the murder will be overseen by a committee which answers directly to Putin.

2) It was Putin’s supporters.

A large majority of the Russian people note that Eastern Ukraine was historically a part of a Russia for hundreds of years already, and therefore support Putin’s war there. Meanwhile, Putin himself has already vowed to hunt down Nemtsov’s killers, and has called the murder: “a shameless provocation.”

Not since the 1990′s has a Russian leader been suspected of assassinating the opposition. To assume that Putin merely offed this critic, without thinking about the public relations nightmare it would cause him, is naive.

 

3) It was the opposition itself.

The voices within Russia calling for an end to the war in Ukraine have been around for quite some time now. In fact, the scene of the murder could not have been more dramatically chosen. Those close to the scene have noted the church bells of the Kremlin which could be heard within range of the crime.

Supporters of this theory have stated that if Putin and (or) his followers wanted to oust Nemtsov they probably would have a chosen a lower-key method.

 

Summary

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Monday outside the Kremlin, demanding justice and democracy within Russia. The overwhelming sentiment amongst the crowd was that Putin is to blame. Sergei Mitrokhin, of the liberal Yabloko party, stated: “If political views are punished in this way, this country has no future.”