Watch Boris Nemtsov denounce Putin's 'insane,' 'murderous' Ukraine war in final interview

Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov gives his final interview

(Image credit: Reuters/YouTube)

published 2 March 2015

On Sunday, thousands of Russians marched in Moscow in remembrance of prominent opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead Friday night. Less than three hours before he was killed, Nemtsov was on the radio, promoting Sunday's march — originally planned as an opposition rally — and denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Russia needs to "hold honest elections" and "abolish censorship," according to a translation from Reuters.

But Nemtsov also weighed in on Russia's involvement in Ukraine: "The main reason of the crisis is that Putin started that insane, aggressive, murderous — for our country and for many of our citizens — policy of war with Ukraine. The presence of the Russian troops there is well-documented." Putin says he has personally taken control of the investigation into Nemtsov's murder, and promised the dissident's mother he will find the killers. Watch parts of Nemtsov's final interview below. —Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox