Former Russian assassin comments on Nemtsov murder

[Excerpts from the article]

The former professional killer Aleksey Sherstobitov who is serving a prison term for the twelve murders and attempts, told Gazeta.ru journalists about his opinion concerning the killers' professionalism, their use of various ammunition batches, and why Anna Duritskaya was not harmed.

Concerning weapon used in the murder: "How do you know it was a PM [Makarov pistol]? The same ammunition is also used by the APS [Stechkin automatic pistol, with a 20-round magazine and capable of automatic fire]?

On the use of different ammunition batches: "If you are trying to throw off the investigation, using different munitions is dumb, because the barrel rifling and the extractor will leave identical markings on the bullets and the casings. Moreover, it's dumb to mix ammunition batches because even during the Soviet era it could have been quickly figured out. It will only help the courts, because if they find similar ammunition from the same batches at your home, it will be additional evidence against you. It's another story if the killer was collecting ammunition from whatever he had available".

"A professional killer will always have a choice of weapon, but obviously he did not have that choice during the murder."

On why Duritskaya was left alive: "The weapon may have jammed, the shooter may have gotten confused, maybe he wanted to get away as quickly as possible. Maybe he ran out of ammunition. An experienced shooter for whom weapons are his profession would hardly fire that many times."

Concerning the motives and the party commissioning the crime: "The killer could have been acting on his own initiative, and Duritskaya may be hiding something. We can also assume, due to its brazenness and lack of thinking it through, the Caucasus variant. These guys always use the first available chance. Just look at how the Chechens take out their enemies. They want everyone to know they don't care how and where."

On the site of the murder: "It's one of the worst spots to choose for a murder. If you are trying to make a show out of it, shoot him in public, or in a restaurant. Or use a more powerful weapon."

On the timing: "It's unlikely that the killing was connected to the approaching march. These days intimidation of this sort does not work, so it would give only additional fodder for discussion. In my view he was not a politician who could influence anything. Many have forgotten about him. There are other, more bright stars, among the opposition."

On the ease of killing Nemtsov: "He was not hiding, he was not using personal security, he felt that he was not in any kind of danger. Politicians are of course, people, and we have to start with that. Many of them forget that little detail and think they are untouchable. But God will sooner or later make everyone equal! These unpleasant photographs, with uncomfortable and ugly poses, the rolled up shirt, the blood and death, that's the sight of body and soul being separated."

Concerning the possibility that Nemtsov was murdered to destabilize Russia: "It's already not very calm. It would have been far more effective to open fire on the demonstration or shoot a genuinely important political figure but, thank God, nobody will go that far!"

J.Hawk's Comment:

Comment: Meanwhile, this image is going viral in Russian media:

“Since the current US ambassador arrived in Russia, they killed Nemtsov, while he was in Georgia they killed Zhvaniya, and in Ukraine—Gongadze. Coincidence?” All three were prominent opposition figures, their deaths leading to political upheavals. To quote Ian Fleming, “once is a happenstance, twice--a coincidence, three times--enemy action.”

In related news, Russian media is reporting that Nemtsov's 'companion', Anna Duritskaya, not only was in a relationship with Ukrainian MP and commander of Dnepr-1 battalion (one of Kolomoisky's battalions), Yuri Bezera, according to her sister; she was recruited by Ukraine's security service, the SBU last September (according to Sergey Markov, Russian political scientists and member of the Public Chamger) in order to glean information on Bezera, Kolomoisky.