DC officially renames street in front of Russian embassy after slain Putin critic

The Washington, D.C. city council on Tuesday officially renamed a street in front of the Russian embassy in honor of a slain critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dozens of attendees gathered for an official ceremony renaming a portion of Wisconsin Ave. NW as “Boris Nemtsov Plaza” in honor of a top Putin critic who was murdered in 2015 after calling for rallies against Putin’s government.

Big crowd gathered for unveiling of Boris Nemtsov plaza in honor of the slain Russian dissident. It’s right in front of the Russian embassy pic.twitter.com/uzSUfk6zc1

— Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) February 27, 2018

Nemtsov was killed near the Kremlin three years ago. The top Putin critic was shot by an unknown assailant just days before he planned to take part in a peace rally against Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in his murder.

Tuesday’s ceremony follows a unanimous vote last month to rename the plaza, a vote that the bill’s sponsor, Councilwoman Mary Cheh, told The Associated Press was not related to allegations of Russian election interference.

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“The Council also approved, unanimously and on an emergency basis (pending passage of permanent legislation), the re-naming of the portion of Wisconsin Avenue in front of the Russian Embassy to honor slain democracy activist Boris Nemtsov,” reads a January press release.

In Russia, hundreds of Nemtsov’s supporters and Putin’s critics flooded the streets for the anniversary of his death, chanting anti-Putin slogans such as “this is our country!” and “Putin is a thief!” according to news reports.

Muscovites marching now in memory of Boris Nemtsov, the opposition politician murdered on a bridge near the Kremlin 3 years ago. Cries of “Putin is a thief!” & “This is our country!” pic.twitter.com/b9PlbP925P

— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) February 25, 2018

“The world has been without Boris Nemtsov for nearly 3 years. When his murderer Putin is gone, Boris and his fight for justice will be known & honored by millions of Russians,” top Putin critic Gary Kasparov tweeted earlier this week.