“From Russia With Love”

By now all so-called patriots have spent their time going on and on about the death of Nemtsov, the opposition leader in Russia……some even have a valid opinion….but Russia has come through, at least that is what we are told, and arrested a couple of thugs that they say committed the murder…….

Five suspects in the killing of prominent Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov have been delivered to the court for arraignment, the spokeswoman for a Moscow court said today. The statement by Anna Fedeeva to reporters outside the courthouse came one day after the Federal Security service said two suspects had been detained. Those two, Anzor Gubashev and Zaur Dadayev, have been charged and are of Chechen origin, per the BBC. Russian news agencies late yesterday reported that two others had been detained, and Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said today there was a fifth suspect. Security service director Alexander Bortnikov gave no details of how Gubashev and Dadayev were detained or specifics on how they were connected to the killings. President Vladimir Putin, who had dubbed Nemtsov’s killing a “provocation,” made no comment on the detentions.

However, state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti said they were detained in Ingushetia, a republic bordering Chechnya, citing Ingush Security Council chief Albert Barakhoev. Dadaev served in a battalion of Interior Ministry troops in Chechnya, Barakhoev was quoted as saying. He said Gubashev had worked in a private security company in Moscow. Barakhoev also was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying two others were seized at the same time as the suspects. But there has been no official announcement of their detention. Dadaev’s mother was quoted by Interfax as saying the two others were her nephews. Many believe that Nemtsov’s death in a tightly secured area near the Kremlin wouldn’t have been possible without official involvement, and could be an attempt to scare other government foes.

Then over the weekend came more news about the others that were still at large…..the Russian authorities swooped down and arrested 2 more suspects with one left…….when they arrived to take the man into custody they were greeted in a highly suspect way…..at least in my mind……

Well, that seems settled: Not only has Russia charged two and detained three others in the murder of opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, but one of those charged has apparently confessed. And a sixth suspect blew himself up last night when police approached his apartment in Chechnya, reports Interfax via the New York Times. A judge announced in a Moscow court today that suspect Zaur Dadayev, a Chechen police officer who battled Islamic militants, had confessed that he helped kill the Vladimir Putin critic. But the second charged suspect, Chechen security guard Anzor Gubashev, pleaded not guilty. Russian authorities are yet to explain how the plot unfolded or what motivations lay behind it.

The guy who blew himself up is said to be Beslan Shavanov, 30, who holed up in his Grozny apartment when police came to grab him, Russia 24 reports via CNN. With his building surrounded, Shavanov apparently tried to flee, tossing a grenade at police and blowing himself up. Russia’s Sputnik News says that another suspect claims to have an alibi for the night Nemtsov was gunned down on a Moscow bridge: “At the time of the murder, I was at work as I usually am every day,” says Tamerlan Eskerkhanov. “There are many people, my colleagues, who will confirm this.” Nemtsov’s daughter says she’s not surprised that two of the suspects are from the Caucasus region, which has rebelled against Moscow for years: “It was predictable,” she says. (See what Nemtsov was working on at the time of his murder.)

I am pleased to see the Russian police act with such precision apprehend the suspects….and then there is the bomb thing……I guess we will have to watch how this thing plays out…..I am a bit dubious at this time.

Leave a Reply