A Chechen convicted for his role in the murder of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov has been pardoned by Vladimir Putin and will now join Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Temirlan Eskerkhanov was imprisoned in 2017 for the 2015 assassination of the former deputy prime minister. Four other men convicted for their part in the killing will remain behind bars after turning down the opportunity to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
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“Eskerkhanov signed a contract with the Defense Ministry and was pardoned, after which he was released from his penal colony. He was assigned to an assault unit and is now carrying out combat missions in the special military operation zone,” a source told TASS.
Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who was freed following last week’s much-publicized prisoner swap, slammed the move saying it “mocked the memory” of Nemtsov.
Writing on social media, Yashin said: “Putin pardoned Ekerkhanov, a convicted Kadyrov bandit. He took part in the murder of Nemtsov, and now he will go to kill in Ukraine, which Boris defended against Russian aggression.”
Eskerkhanov, a former police officer, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his complicity in the murder, alongside four fellow Chechens. Zaur Dadayev, recognized as the actual killer, was sentenced to 20 years.
According to investigators, Eskerkhanov helped coordinate the hit, transported the group and organized their flight.
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Nemtsov was shot in the back as he crossed a bridge in Moscow in 2015. A vocal critic of Putin, he was arrested numerous times in preceding years for taking part in anti-Kremlin protests.
While Nemtsov’s family and friends have no doubt that the real killers were jailed, the investigation failed to identify those who ordered the killing. Both Ilya Yashin and Nemtsov’s family lawyer, Vadim Prokorov, have laid the blame on Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
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