Five men have been found guilty of involvement in the murder of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.
Zaur Dadayev, Temirlan Eskerhanov, Khamzat Bakhaev and brothers Anzor and Shagid Gubashev were found guilty at Moscow's Military Court on Thursday afternoon.
The five men were charged with Nemtsov's death in December 2015. A sixth suspect, Beslan Shavanov, killed himself with a grenade while resisting arrest.
The men had been offered 15 million rubles ($240,000) to murder Nemtsov, the court was told.
Dadaev, a former officer in the Chechen security forces, was found to have shot the the opposition politician in the back on Feb 27, 2015 as he crossed Moscow's Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge. The Gubashev brothers and Eskerkhanov traced Nemtov's movements prior to the killing, while Bakhayev provided information and helped the group to hide after the murder, the court was told.
Prosecutors are currently investigating Ruslan Mukhudinov, a low-ranking officer in the Chechen security services, for ordering the hit, despite protests from the Nemtsov family that higher-ranking officials were also involved. Mukhudinov has been wanted internationally since November 2015.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.