The assassination of the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov has caused shockwaves around the world. The Kremlin denies any involvement; it would be a spectacular own goal were that not the case. But it is likely that the origins of the contract to kill this outspoken critic of the direction in which Russia is headed lie in the nationalist right wing which grows more strident as Russia comes under diplomatic and economic pressure from the West. The size of the march now taking place indicates that, while there is no doubt that President Putin enjoys majority support, there is a significant minority who are not so happy.
This is good news because you cannot have a democracy without an opposition and the reaction to the murder of a popular political reformer at least proves that Russia considers itself a democracy notwithstanding all its faults. It is important for the West to take note of this. Even the most virulent critics of Putin’s rule recognize that some accommodation will have to be found to restore relations to a more constructive model and it is in the interests of both the West and Russia that this happens. The most important lesson from the past is not to isolate Russia for not conforming with Western demands, because to do so will simply embed and strengthen the nationalist extremists who hark back to the old days of Soviet power. There was no shred of democracy then.
