Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition politician murdered in Moscow on Feb. 27, was known as a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a supporter of Ukraine's EuroMaidan Revolution, and an eloquent politician. Kyiv Post recalls some of the memorable quotes of Nemtsov that assess today's Ukraine and Russia.
On reforms in Ukraine
“Ukrainian authorities do not conduct the most important reforms. They do not! The tax reform, the pension reform, judicial reform, tariff reform etc. Ukraine doesn’t have its own (Yegor) Gaidar yet. This is the tragedy. (…) Both (President Petro) Poroshenko and (Prime Minister Arseniy) Yatsenyuk think about their ratings and not about the way to drag the country out of the crisis. (…) And before there is a Ukrainian Gaidar the country will be balancing between life and death. To the delight of Putin,” Nemtsov wrote on his Facebook page on Feb. 25, just a few days before his murder.
On Putin and war against Ukraine
“I consider the war of Putin against Ukraine a crime, a real crime. This is not a war of Russia against Ukraine. This is a Putin’s war – absolutely cynical, absolutely bloody, fratricidal and false war. Why is he doing this? It is more or less clear too. First of all – everything he is doing he is doing to stay in power no matter what. Now he already wants to stay in power for lifetime. Because if he doesn’t he is going to pay at least for the official crime – sending Russian army to Ukraine. It is a crime because in June Russian Federation council deprived him of the right to send the army abroad, including Ukraine. The second reason – this is Putin’s revenge to Ukrainian nation for an anti-criminal revolution. And as a result the criminal president (Viktor Yanukovych) was ousted,” Nemtsov said in an interview to Radio Liberty in Moscow that was published on Feb. 28, a day after Nemtsov was killed.
“Putin no longer wants an integral Ukraine by his side. This is in the past. Actually everything that was needed to be done to make Ukraine an enemy was already done by Putin. Everything needed to be done to make Ukraine run to NATO, Putin has already done. Everything needed to be done for Ukraine to never become a member of the Customs Union – Putin has already done. Basically everything he aimed to achieve towards Ukraine failed because of his own policy,” Nemtsov said in an interview to Radio Liberty in Moscow that was published on Feb. 28, a day after Nemtsov was killed.
On Russia’s ruling regime
“It is clear that now they want to introduce the censorship even for bloggers. But they will not silent us. They judge by themselves. They are rotten-hearted bitches. And we are decent people. That’s why they hate us. Bitches always hate decent people,” Nemtsov said in his interview to Glavcom.ua in Kyiv, at “Ukraine – Russia: dialogue” congress in January 2014.
“I am a lawmaker of Yaroslavl Council. And now we have a problem. Cancer patients die because there are no medications. They die in pain because there are no painkillers, meanwhile Putin is taking over Ukraine,” Nemtsov said in his interview to Glavcom.ua in Kyiv, at “Ukraine – Russia: dialogue” congress in January 2014.
On Russia and the West
“We live in a new reality, my dears. The reality of the Second Cold War. The previous cold war was lost by the USSR and the USSR collapsed. And the chances to lose the new cold war are grand. The reason is very simple – the difference between the economic potential of the West and Russia is too big. Western economy is 16 times stronger. Russia is just six percent of Europe’s and America’s economy. Six percent – remember this figure. It is just the right time to start learning more about the life of Iran under long-term sanctions and keep fighting against the Russophobian authorities in Kremlin,” Nemtsov wrote on his Facebook page on Nov. 20, 2014.
