The leaders of the European Union strongly condemned the murder of the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov committed in Moscow on the night of February 28.

A criminal case was opened by the articles “Murder” and “Illegal arms trafficking”. The Kremlin believes the incident was a provocation.
 

Germany

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the crime committed in the centre of Moscow 

“mean” and stressed the fact that she was shocked by the incident, according to Agence France-Presse. She urged the Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure a thorough investigation and bringing the criminals to justice. France. The French President Francois Hollande called the murder of Boris Nemtsov “monstrous”. The communiqué of the Elysee Palace stressed the fact that the politician was “a courageous and tireless defender of democracy and an uncompromising fighter against corruption”.
 

Italy

The Italian President Sergio Mattarello stated that with the death of Nemtsov “a significant figure and the respected leader of the opposition in Russia was gone”. This was stated in the communiqué of the Quirinal Palace.

United Kingdom. The British Foreign Office expressed its condolences to the families and friends of Boris Nemtsov, and urged Russia to find and punish those involved in the murder of the politician. This was reported by “Interfax” with the reference to the EFE agency.
 

Belgium

The Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders expressed his condolences to the relatives of Nemtsov and pointed out his contributions in the fight against corruption. “Belgium insists on an impartial investigation which will make it possible to find out the truth and punish the guilty ones” – TASS quoted his statement.
 

The European Union

The EU representative also stated that the incident shocked the European Community. “We think about the relatives and friends of the deceased. We urge you to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation”- RIA “Novosti” quoted the diplomat’s statement.
 

The European Parliament

The Head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz also expressed hope for a thorough investigation into the murder of the opposition leader, according to TASS.
 

The 55-year-old Boris Nemtsov was killed in the centre of Moscow on the night of February 28. Unknown persons riding in a white car shot him in the back at least six times while he was walking through Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge with his friend. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case by the articles “Murder” and “Illegal arms trafficking”. The investigation is considering several versions of the event. In particular, the murder could be a provocation for destabilization of the political situation in Russia. The “version associated with the Islamic extremist trace” is also considered: Nemtsov “was threatened in connection with his position regarding the shooting of the journalists of the magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris”. In addition, the crime could be related to the inner conflict in Ukraine, as well as commercial activities of Nemtsov or someone’s personal dislike towards him.

 

Sources: http://lenta.ru http://www.rbc.ru