Photo Credit: http://politikus.ru

Russia has made headlines again with the shocking assassination of Boris Nemtsov, Russia’s opposition figure.

Many media outlets focus on his political activities. According to the Independent, “his criticisms made him a hate figure among Putin loyalists. At a recent pro-Putin rally there were posters vilifying him.”

“Speaking a few days ago in the town of Yaroslavl, north east of Moscow, he surprised residents by blaming Putin for rising inflation and stagnant wages. “They believed that the embargo on imported foods is America’s fault, and they were surprised when I told them no, that was not Obama, it was Putin,” Nemtsov was quoted as saying. “This is what we need to make people aware of: the crisis, that’s Putin.”

The Independent, liked many other media, cite his recent interview to the Sobesednik news website: "I'm afraid Putin will kill me. I believe that he was the one who unleashed the war in the Ukraine. I couldn't dislike him more."

The BBC has called it a ‘brazen killing’, quoting Nemtsov's lawyer Vadim Prokhorov as saying “the politician had received several death threats on social media in recent months, but said authorities did not take them seriously”.

It also cites Michael McFaul, US ambassador to Russia from 2012-2014, who said the shooting was one of the "most shocking things that I can remember happening in Russia for a long, long time". "100 meters from the Kremlin and none of those militsiya [police] working around there could stop the murderers?" he tweeted.

The Wall Street Journal was straightforward pointing out ‘we may never learn who shot dead Boris Nemtsov in Moscow late Friday night, much less why’.

CNN focused on his claims related to the 2014 Winter Olympics hosted by Sochi. “He published a report in 2013 describing the Sochi games as one of the most "outrageous swindles" in recent Russian history. He claimed that up to 60% of the final cost -- or $30 billion -- had been embezzled,” says the TV station.

It also quotes Peter Baker, the author of "Kremlin Rising" as saying: “In Russia there's always multiple layers, things we don't see," he said. "You can't rule out (a reason we don't know about)." He meant the reason for the murder could be other than a political one.

Bloomberg features a story by Leonid Bershidsky who gives his personal account.

“I first met Nemtsov in 1992, when he was governor in Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga. A brilliant young physicist, he was trying to practice liberal economics in a gloomy Soviet-era industrial city that had long been off-limits to foreigners. I remember my feeling of incredulity as I watched him in his office: With his ready smile and fluid eloquence, he was strikingly different from the Soviet functionaries who preceded him. He was like a Hollywood movie politician transplanted into the Russian hinterland,” says Bershadsky.

There will definitely be commentary on Nemtsov and Russia-IC will keep you updated.