Russian opposition leaders on Saturday accused the Kremlin of being behind the death of a towering figure of post-Soviet politics, Boris Nemtsov, as they struggled to come to grips with the highest-profile assassination of President Vladimir Putin\u2019s 15 years in power.<\/p>\n
Nemtsov was gunned down late Friday, steps from the Kremlin and underneath the swirling domes of St. Basil\u2019s Cathedral \u201d\u201d the heart of power in Russia and one of the most secure areas in the nation. The slaying of one of Putin\u2019s most biting critics swept a wave of fresh vulnerability over those in the opposition, and some expressed new fears for their lives.<\/p>\n
Putin and other allies said that the assassination was a provocation intended to discredit the Kremlin. There were no immediate suspects brought into custody in the drive-by shooting. Authorities said they were working hard to track down a light-colored sedan that was captured on surveillance cameras as Nemtsov crossed a bridge over the Moscow River on an unseasonably warm February night.<\/p>\n