From Vilnius to Washington. How the streets of Nemtsov appear in the world and what does Russia have to do with it

Squares in front of the Russian Embassy in Prague may be named after Boris Nemtsov. According to the mayor of Prague, Zdenek Grzhib, the vote on this issue will be held on February 24.

The official noted that near the petition, almost 5 thousand inhabitants of the city were signed on the renaming of the square. According to Grzhib, Russia should not perceive this decision of the Prague authorities as a provocation.

The Insider recalled which streets and squares renamed Nemtsov after his death in different cities of the world, and how his memory was immortalized in Russia.

Boris Nemtsov was killed by shots in the back on February 27, 2015 in Moscow on the Big Moskvoretsky Bridge. The performers of the crime were sentenced by the court to a long time for imprisonment, but the customers of the murder have not been found so far.

Washington

In 2017, in Washington, public hearings were held on a bill on renaming part of the street to the Russian Embassy in Washington in honor of Boris Nemtsov. The hearings were performed by the daughter of Nemtsov Zhanna, as well as his friend and chairman of the Council of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for freedom, Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr.

“In Russia, we were not allowed to pay tribute to the Russian statesman. Russian officials fight Boris Nemtsov even after his death, ”Kara-Murza Jr. said then.

A year later, there was a ceremony of assigning the square in front of the building of the Russian Embassy named after Boris Nemtsov.

Vilnius

On May 23, 2018, the city council of Vilnius decided to name the square in front of the Russian Embassy on Latvia Street by the name of Boris Nemtsov.

They opened the square in Vilnius. Boris Nemtsov. The second city in the world and the first in the European Union, perpetuating Ben's memory. The time will come when the Russian embassy will be proud of such a neighborhood. Thanks to everyone who did it possible. Ačiū, lietuva. pic.twitter.com/f0H5x2LND7

-Vladimir kara-murza (@vkaramurza) August 24, 2018

The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Linas Linkyavicius, the mayor of Vilnius Remigiyus Shimasyus, the chairman of the board of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation Vladimir Kara-Murza, a member of the St. Petersburg City Council Boris Vishnevsky and the editor-in-chief of Echo of Moscow, Alexei Venediktov.

In November 2018, Kiev was awarded the Square near the Russian embassy in Kiev by Boris Nemtsov. The renaming of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitschko, previously discussed with Zhanna Nemtsova.

Klitschko said that the murder of Nemotsv is “these are Russian realities when people pay their lives for an alternative opinion.” “I am sure that this was a political murder for his views and criticism of power,” he said.

Russia

In the very first days after the murder, a proposal appeared to rename the Big Moskvoretsky Bridge, on which Nemtsov was killed, in Nemtsov a bridge, the city hall was against it.

In September 2016, the Moscow authorities, referring to the current legislation, officially refused to establish a commemorative board at the place of murder of a politician.

At the scene of Nemtsov’s death, a memory memorial was organized, which the city authorities tried to liquidate more than once.

In Yaroslavl, where Nemtsov lived, a commemorative sign made of marble was installed. But the vandals were removed and defeated. The second was made from pink granite, but it was also defeated. The third commemorative board was made of bronze, it was also abducted.

Another memorial plaque to Boris Nemtsov on a house where he also lived in recent years (in Moscow in Malaya Ordynka) was installed in 2018 by the son of Nemtsov Anton.

Residents of the village of Matveevka in the city of Domodedovo, Moscow Region decided to appropriate Nemtsov’s name nameless street, but faced threats from the authorities, and they abandoned this idea.