Russians bid farewell to murdered politician Nemtsov

Thousands of Russians have bid farewell to murdered Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov as his funeral took place in the capital Moscow, the BBC reports.

They queued patiently to view his coffin before it began its solemn journey to a city cemetery where he was laid to rest.

Several EU politicians and Russia’s opposition leader were barred from attending the funeral.

No arrests have been made and no motive has been established for the crime.

Nemtsov’s final resting place is at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery, where murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya was buried in 2006.

A fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, he was shot dead on a bridge near the Kremlin wall on Friday night.

New CCTV footage of the presumed getaway car has been released by a pro-Kremlin Russian news website, LifeNews. The video shows a vehicle making its way along Moscow streets but there is no close-up on the suspects inside.

Thousands filed slowly past Boris Nemtsov’s open coffin and heaped flowers alongside it.

All around were photographs of a life in politics: Nemtsov’s years as a young reformer, full of energy, and his time in opposition – where he became one of President Putin’s sharpest critics.

Many here are sure that’s why Boris Nemtsov was killed. They blame the Kremlin for stirring up hatred of dissenters – using the powerful state-run media to paint them as traitors.

As they queued to pay their respects to a man they remembered as a democrat and a tireless campaigner against corruption and repression, people here vowed they wouldn’t be frightened into silence.