Russia's opposition supporters carry portraits of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov during a march in central Moscow on March 1, 2015.(Photo: Yuri Kadobnov, AFP/Getty Images)




MOSCOW — Tens of thousands of people marched in the sleet Sunday through central Moscow to mourn slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, gunned down just steps away from the Kremlin.


"I wasn't planning to go to the rally initially, I had no faith in them," said Tatyana Shakhova, a young demonstrator holding a sign that said "propaganda kills."


"But (Nemtsov's killing) crosses all the lines," she said. "I have no faith that the organizers of the murder will be found."


Nemtsov's death is a "critical turning point for Russia," said one of the rally's organizers, Gennady Gudkov, a former member of parliament who was kicked out in 2012 because of his opposition activity. "Either something starts getting better in this country, or it could go the way of more (political assassinations and repressions.)"


Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Nemtsov staunchly criticized in the past, condemned Friday's killing and took personal control of the investigation. Russia's Investigative Committee on Sunday pledged to award 3 million rubles (about $50,000) for valuable information about Nemstov's death. .


Up to 100,000 people turned out for the march, according to Gudkov, after the location was changed from the outskirts of Moscow to the center of the city. Moscow police, which often downplay the turnout for opposition rallies, put the crowd at 44,000.




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Demonstrators holding Russian flags and portraits of Nemtsov marched from the Kitai-Gorod subway, along the southeastern wall of the Kremlin, to the bridge by Red Square where Nemtsov was slain.


The march was initially planned as a protest against Russia's involvement in Ukraine and the resulting economic crisis. Nemtsov, who reportedly had been gathering evidence that Moscow was arming and aiding pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, was to speak at the rally. But organizers on Saturday canceled the demonstration to instead hold a march of mourning.


Nemtsov, 55, who served as first deputy prime minister under the late president Boris Yeltsin, was shot four times in the back from a passing car as he walked with a female friend across a bridge Friday night, the Interior Ministry said. At least seven shots were fired by several assailants. His companion was not hurt.


The hunt for his killer continues.


At Sunday's march, thousands of Russian tricolor flags peppered the gathering, which was an unusual display for opposition protests. Volunteers handing them out explained that the flags had been "usurped" to represent only the government in power, and it was time for people to take back the flags to represent the country.


"We decided on the flags spontaneously. We wanted to move away from politics toward something that unites us," Gudkov said. "Also, Boris (Nemtsov) was a patriot of Russia."




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Russian flags intermingled with Ukraine's colors of blue and yellow, as many demonstrators spoke out for peace between the two countries.


"Russia and Ukraine must be together," said Dasha Ilyasova, who carried a joined Russian and Ukrainian flag with a black ribbon to commemorate Nemtsov.


"A good person was killed," she said. "If it was a bad person or a person who supported Putin, he wouldn't have been killed."


The theme of Sunday's protest was "propaganda kills," in reference to a propaganda campaign on Russian television that termed Kremlin critics "traitors" and "fifth columnists."


Russian state media turned nationalist in the wake of Ukraine's pro-Western coup a year ago and Russia's move to annex Ukraine's breakaway Crimea. While Russia has persistently denied sending troops and arming separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, Russia's media have staunchly supported the fight against Kiev's new government.


A pro-Kremlin rally on Feb. 21 included demonstrators calling for a "purge of the fifth column," a slogan remembered with fear following Nemtsov's slaying. But there was doubt that Nemtsov's death would change the status quo.


"I think public sentiment will only escalate. Neutrality has disappeared. There are people for or against, and they are irreconcilable." said Mark Feigin, the firebrand lawyer who defended the Pussy Riot protest singers and Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, who was captured by pro-Russian fighters and is imprisoned in Russia.


Savchenko, who is accused by Russia of being involved in the death of two Russian reporters in Ukraine, has been on a hunger strike for 79 days to protest her imprisonment. While Nemtsov's murder won't change public sentiment, Feigin said he hoped the rally could help his defendant.


"Unwillingly, Nemtsov became part of a cumulative effect that could lead to a political decision that could free Savchenko," he said.







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