BORIS NEMSTOV, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION FIGURE WHACKED?

'In Russia, everybody knows everything' including who the boss is and what happens to people who crosses him. So the  rule of the thumb, if you want to stay alive is to simply shut up and tag along.' That was now the late Boris Newstov speaking to CNN Anthony Bourdain last year and he was whacked for not abiding by his own admonition. Instead he talked and talked and talked about the same boss who must be feared but who he personally refused to fear, until it was too late. Bori Nemstov was shot to death on Friday night, February 27, 2015 while crossing Bolshoy Moskvoretshy Bridge near Kremlin Moscow by assailants.

ICHEOKU does not know what got the better part of him as he neither improved on his personal security nor zipped his mouth as any marked person would do; and today unfortunately he is entombed six feet under. Like other prior critics of the boss who met their respective violent ends including Sergey Yushenkov, Yuri Shchekochikhin, Paul Klebnikov, Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko and Boris Berezovsky, Boris Nemstov has now joined the list of those to be now known as former late critics of the boss. One good thing is that they refused to be intimidated, did not cower nor trembled by reason of the deathly threats that came their way until it became too late. It did not help his case either that he was dating a 23 year old Ukraine model named Anna Duritskaya, who might possibly be spying for Kiev? It is equally arguable that his opposition to the war in Eastern Ukraine was induced by a genuine concern emanating from matters of the heart. It would also appear that Boris Nemstov somehow foretold his death when he spoke to a Russian news website Sobesednik on February 10, 2015, quoting him, "I'm afraid Putin will kill me. I believe he was the one who unleashed the war in the Ukraine, I couldn't dislike him (Putin) more."

ICHEOKU queries does it mean that Russia is gradually sliding back to the days of the all powerful Tsars who neither tolerated descent nor criticism? Tsars, whose will must be obeyed, no questions asked? Icheoku asks is the history book ever going to someday in the no distant future record that in Russia once lived a tsar named Vladimir Putin? When that future finally comes, how would the then generation of Russians view the present happening in Russia in retrospect and with the knowledge that once on the political stage of Russia, lived a man named Vladimir Putin, who struggled and aspired to be a tsar and that he had zero tolerance for criticism? ICHEOKU says only the future hold the answer to this question as predicting or foretelling what the future holds does not factor into Icheoku's work load and/or description. 

However Icheoku laments that the fact of grave consequence that the cold hands of death keep on snatching anyone and everyone who disagrees or happens not to fall in line in today's Putin's Russia, leaves much to be desired? While most developed and many developing countries alike are encouraging limitless freedom of speech and expression for their people, in Russia, people are now living in fear and imbibing the habit of looking over their shoulders just to stay off the radar of marked for elimination and this is happening in this new millennium 2015? It is indeed a very sad commentary that in today's modern day Russia that it is a grave risk to be in the opposition, who are gradually being intimidated into silence of the graveyard? Now they know better not to sing or open their mouth against or about the big boss. This certainly  does not bode well for a transforming Russia, neither does it do the image of Russia any good. Vladimir Putin, ICHEOKU says please let freedom ring!