People in Moscow have commemorated late opposition politician Boris Nemtsov who was shot dead in the Russian capital nine years ago, despite the considerable risk of arrest.
People were laying flowers on the bridge near the Kremlin where Nemzov was killed on February 27, 2015, a dpa reporter at the scene said on Tuesday evening.
A few dozen people remained there for a while, while most mourners quickly left the scene again, she said.
Security forces in Moscow have been cracking down on those publicly mourning late opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who died in a Siberian prison on February 16 under unclear circumstances. Several hundred people were arrested in recent days.
At the time of his death, Nemtsov was considered a strong supporter of Ukraine, which was more and more turning towards the West. He died aged 55 when someone shot him from a car.
While his alleged killer as well as four suspected accomplices from the northern Caucasus were convicted and handed long prison terms in 2017, Nemtsov's family continues to insist that the authorities never really investigated in the case.
Nemtsov served as deputy prime minister from 1997 to 1998 when Boris Yeltsin was president of Russia.
In previous years, his death used to be commemorated by large crowds, but particularly since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the authorities have been violently surpressing all forms of protests and opposition, forcing an increasing number of dissidents into exile.
