The Real Russia. Today.

Five unanswered questions about Nemtsov’s murder; an interview with the volunteer who parted ways with Navalny; and Moscow’s new beef with Washington over diplomatic visas

Five unanswered questions from the Boris Nemtsov murder trial. On July 3, a Moscow court sentenced five men convicted of murdering Boris Nemtsov — Zaur Dadayev, the brothers Anzor and Shadid Gubashev, Terirlan Eskerkhanov, and Khamzat Bakhayev — to prison terms ranging from 11 to 20 years. This is the final word on the official version of Boris Nemtsov’s death, finding that Nemtsov was murdered for a simple cash reward, without any ideological or political motivations. According to this version, the murder was organized by Ruslan Mukhdinov, the driver for a Chechen police battalion deputy commander. It remains unknown where Mukhdinov is today, or indeed if he is still alive. According to the trial, the bread crumbs end at Mukhdinov, who supposedly masterminded everything. Meduza poses five questions about the verdict against Nemtsov’s killers, who to this day claim to be innocent. Editorial in English

Interview with the activist who says Alexey Navalny ‘ignored’ him after he was hospitalized. On July 13, Alexander Turovsky, a volunteer at Alexey Navalny’s Moscow campaign headquarters, complained on Facebook that he’s received no help from Navalny, following a July 6 police raid on the campaign’s Moscow office that left Turovsky hospitalized and fined 500 rubles (about $8) for refusing police orders. The activist says he’s been “ignored” by Navalny, whose critics sometimes accuse him of failing to pay enough attention to volunteers and detained protesters. Navalny’s own activists have never raised these charges, however, and Turovsky’s complaints have become the candidate's first publicity crisis since he announced his presidential run last December. Meduza spoke to Turovsky to find out why he wrote the Facebook post and what exactly he expects from the Navalny campaign. Story in English

Fast-tracking Russia’s next social-media law. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin says the parliament’s lower house will adopt the first reading of controversial new Internet regulations within a week, telling reporters on Friday that lawmakers expect to have the Kremlin and federal government’s formal review by July 18. Volodin offered no explanation for why the far-reaching draft law is being reviewed with such speed. Story in Russian

• Context: Lawmakers in Russia’s State Duma have introduced legislation that would enormously complicate life for online social networks and instant messengers. The law would require the owners of these networks and messengers to delete any “illegal content” within 24 hours, or they would face steep fines. Story in English

A former Soviet counter-intelligence officer attended the meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Natalia Veselnitskaya. The Russian lawyer who met with the Trump team after a promise of compromising material on Hillary Clinton was accompanied by a Russian-American lobbyist — a former Soviet counter intelligence officer who is suspected by some U.S. officials of having ongoing ties to Russian intelligence, NBC News has learned. Story in English

Play nice, or else, Uncle Sam. U.S. officials aren’t issuing visas to the Russian diplomats sent to replace those expelled in December 2016, according to Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry. “Washington not only hasn’t canceled its decision to expel our staff, but it’s also refusing to grant visas to those who are supposed to go replace them,” Zakharova told reporters on Friday, threatening to take retaliatory measures, if the issue isn’t resolved soon. Story in Russian

• Context: On December 29, 2016, the United States imposed sanctions on Russia for Moscow’s alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election. Washington expelled 35 Russian diplomats, accusing them of playing a role in Russia’s supposed meddling. Two embassy properties were also closed down and seized by American officials.

Nazi Internet crimes. A court in Vladimir has placed a local activist under arrest for three days because she reposted an image on social media depicting Vladimir Putin as a Nazi. The picture also showed Adolf Hitler and a caption reading, “They both got started with the Olympics. They both attacked Ukraine. They both disgraced their countries before the whole world.” Viktoria Lobova was placed under arrest for the misdemeanor of publicly displaying Nazi symbols. Story in English

Yours, Meduza