Daughter of Nemtsov Blames Putin's Politics for His Murder
Since her father’s death, Zhanna Nemtsova has been unable to gain access to his home.Since her father’s death, Zhanna Nemtsova has been unable to gain access to his home.Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
By
Polly Mosendz is a breaking news reporter for Newsweek. She was previously a staff writer for The Wire and associate editor for The Atlantic. Her reporting on the Islamic State has been recognized by a variety of organizations, including the Middle East Institute. Her writing has appeared in The New York Observer, The Commercial Observer, Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, Yahoo News and a variety of other publications. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, she is fluent in both Ukrainian and Russian. Mosendz attended the New School University where she studied media writing and American history. She lives in Greenwich Village with many books.
🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
In an interview with the BBC, Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of slain Russian activist Boris Nemtsov, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "politically" responsible for her father's murder.
A former deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin, Nemtsov was an outspoken and prominent critic of Putin. In an interview two weeks before his death, he said, "I'm afraid Putin will kill me." He was shot four times in the back while walking with a girlfriend near the Kremlin in late February.
Though Putin condemned Nemtsov's murder, Nemtsova believes the president bears some responsibility for the murder. Her father was the most powerful leader of the opposition, his daughter told the BBC. "After his death, the opposition is beheaded and everybody is frightened."
Since her father's death, Nemtsova has been unable to gain access to his home. Police reportedly ransacked his apartment after he was murdered.
Five Chechen men are suspected of killing Nemtsov. Three of them may have been tortured into confessing, although Moscow officials have denied the torture reports.
