Book on Boris Nemtsov presented in Washington, DC

To commemorate the third anniversary of Boris Nemtsov’s passing and to discuss his legacy and impact on Russian politics, a book discussion on “Boris Nemtsov and Russian Politics: Power and Resistance” was held on 14 February 2018 in Washington, DC by the Atlantic Council in cooperation with the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Science, University of Tartu.

The book was edited by Andrey Makarychev (University of Tartu) and Alexandra Yatsyk (Uppsala University), and includes a foreword by Zhanna Nemtsova.

In post-Soviet Russian politics, Boris Nemtsov is one of the most tragic figures—and not only because he was shot dead, at the age of 56, in close vicinity to the Kremlin, the locus of Russia’s power. The transparency of the crime in this specific case was shocking: Nemtsov’s murder was filmed by a surveillance camera. The video tape confirms the demonstrative and insolent character of the assassination. His death illuminated a core feature of the current regime that tolerates, if not incites, extra-legal actions against those it considers to be “foes,” “traitors,” or members of “the Fifth Column.”

Published in February 2018, the volume commemorates Boris Nemtsov from different perspectives. In addition to academic papers, it includes personal notes and reflections and the articles represent a range of assessments on Nemtsov’s personality by people for whom he was one of the leading figures in post-Soviet politics and a major protagonist in Russia’s transformation. The plurality of opinions collected in this volume matches the diversity and multiplicity of Nemtsov’s political legacy. More information on the book is available at the publisher’s website.

The book was presented by Ambassador John Herbst (Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council) and Alexandra Yatsyk, and discussed by Vladimir Kara-Murza (Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom), David Kramer (Senior Fellow, Vaclav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy, Florida International University) and Katerina Smagliy (Director, Kennan Institute, Kyiv office). The recording of the discussion is available on the website of the Atlantic Council.

The book will be presented also in Europe, the first presentation will be in Kyiv, Ukraine at the Free Russia House.