Slain Putin Critic Was Working on Ukraine Report

Russian investigators promise to find the gunmen who murdered Boris Nemtsov within sight of the Kremlin, and the president of Ukraine thinks they won't have far to look. Petro Poroshenko says Nemtsov was poised to release evidence proving that Russia was playing a big role in the Ukraine conflict despite Vladimir Putin's assertions to the contrary, reports Reuters. "He said he would reveal persuasive evidence of the involvement of Russian armed forces in Ukraine," says Poroshenko. "Someone was very afraid of this. ... They killed him." Russian investigators, meanwhile, said they were looking at a range of motives, including the idea that enemies of Putin killed Nemtsov "as a provocation to destabilize the political situation in the country," reports the New York Times.

They also made a point to say they would look into his personal life, and state TV emphasized that the 55-year-old was walking with a much younger model when he was shot to death, reports AP. Putin himself sent a message to Nemtsov's mother promising that "everything will be done so that the organizers and perpetrators of a vile and cynical murder get the punishment they deserve.” It did not mention that in a recent interview, Nemtsov talked about how his mother was "truly scared" that Putin would have him killed because of his unrelenting criticism of the Kremlin. Nemtsov supporters plan a march in Moscow tomorrow. (More Boris Nemtsov stories.)