Putin condemns murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the Friday killing of Boris Nemtsov, Russia's former deputy Prime Minister, and said in a telegram to Nemtsov's mother that "everything will be done so that the organizers and perpetrators of a vile and cynical murder are punished."

Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times while walking across a bridge near the Kremlin, BBC News reports. The harsh critic of Putin had served under Russia's first post-Soviet President, Boris Yeltsin, in the 1990s. He became a popular figure in opposition politics after Yeltsin's successor, Putin, came to power.

Western leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a thorough, transparent investigation into Nemtsov's murder.

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