Why
should we in the West and Europe be the slightest bit concerned about
the assassination February 27, 2015 of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov
in the shadow of the Kremlin? Precisely because Nemtsov was one of the
few Russians who dared to voice his opposition and expose Russia’s
involvement in the war in Ukraine. Amazingly, Vladimir Putin and those
who believe his narrative now blame the USA as the prime instigator of
the Ukraine conflict.
Many
of us find this laughable. Especially those who agree with Senator John
McCain, who expressed shame at our hesitancy to come to the aid of our
beleaguered Ukrainian friends. Even so, every hesitant step we take
only feeds Putin’s narrative, regardless of the facts, and of course
that plays beautifully into his poker hand.
It is
all too easy these days to imagine that the Russian President represents
and/or controls the thoughts of common Russian citizens. No, that is
not entirely the case! Nemtsov and the 70,000 Russians who attended his
memorial march were proof. That day they carried signs: “Those bullets
were fired at us!” and “Propaganda Kills!”. These are people of
conscience who deserve our respect and prayers.
Nevertheless,
we should be cautious not to allow our presumptions about Russia and
it’s leaders to become the source of our conclusions about Nemtsov’s
murder. Therefore, I offer here a summary of facts as reported by Brian
Whitmore in his Power Vertical blog, “Chaos or Terror”, and also his
well-reasoned conclusions:
What
are the undisputed facts? First, as an opposition leader, Nemtsov was
under constant surveillance by Russian security services. Second, he
was killed in one of the most heavily policed and monitored parts of
Moscow. Third, the shooting was stunningly professional, highly
efficient, and the assassins got away clean.
It is
hard to escape the conclusion that the security services or elements
connected to them were involved in the killing. Amateurs without inside
connections could not have done this.
Is this Terror or Chaos?
Two
possibilities then remain: the killing was sanctioned (terror) or
someone inside the Kremlin regime was going rogue (chaos). If
sanctioned, then why? Terror. To send fear into the opposition: anyone
can get hit anywhere at any time. A warning to the opposition: Watch
your step and measure your words!
If the
killing was by rogue elements, then there is chaos in the Kremlin.
Putin is losing his monopoly on the organized use of violence. This kind
of chaos in the security services in the long run could be even more
destructive than deliberate terror.
Terror
and chaos are not what any thoughtful person in the West wants to see
as ruling in Russia. Let our prayers therefore be toward the end that
people of conscience will gain the upper hand and that cooler heads
prevail. Otherwise, as in past world wars, we will once again see our
sons and daughters drawn into an uncontrollable, descending spiral of
war. God forbid! That is why we should watch and pray for Russia and
its citizens.
