Nemtsov's report proves Russians have been misled - Hoofdinhoud
Ilya Yashin, a close friend of ex-leader of the Russian opposition, Boris Nemtsov, and a high-ranking member of our sister-party RPR-Parnas, today published a report on Russian soldiers secretly fighting in Ukraine, entitled "Putin. War.". Boris Nemtsov was working on this document before being gunned down in front of the Kremlin, in February.
ALDE Group leader, Guy Verhofstadt, applauds the work done by Ilya Yashin:
"The publication today of a report by former Liberal leader Boris Nemtsov into Russian involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, is a glimmer of hope from Moscow.
It is an indication that Russian society still has individuals and activists ready to stand up to the truth, take risks and hold the regime accountable. Sadly, Boris Nemtsov is dead, but the spirit of a free democratic Russia has yet to be fully extinguished."
"I applaud the courageous work still being done by Ilja Yaschin and the Russian opposition, who completed the work which Boris Nemtsov had started just months before he was murdered. They completed this work in spite of intimidation and threats by the regime and in spite of the fact that many documents gathered by Nemtsov were requisitioned immediately after his murder."
MEP, Hans van Baalen, ALDE spokesman on Ukraine and Russia, added:
"The report holds Putin and his regime accountable for the occupation of Crimea and for the war in Eastern Ukraine. The families of soldiers killed in this war have the right to know the truth. Russian citizens have the right to be informed about the costs and consequences of the military aggression which is taking place in their name."
"While the EU continues with its sanctions against Putin's war in Ukraine, the ALDE group calls on HRVP Mogherini and EU Member States to strengthen cooperation with the Russian civil society."
Drafting the report has been extremely difficult, as investigators swept Nemtsov's apartment after his murder, confiscating computers, hard drives and other supports where the information was stored.
Boris Nemtsov was murdered on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremlin on the 27th of February. A security forces officer from Russia’s Chechnya region and four other men were charged in this file.