Russia’s opposition will mark the sixth anniversary of Boris Nemtsov’s assassination with a memorial event, not a march, due to pandemic restrictions

A coalition of opposition activists and politicians is calling on supporters of Boris Nemtsov to mark the sixth anniversary of his assassination by leaving flowers at the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge in Moscow, where the former deputy prime minister was shot and killed on February 27, 2015.

According to Moscow municipal deputy Ilya Yashin, Saturday’s gathering will be a “memorial event, but not a rally or march,” which are currently prohibited in Moscow due to public safety measures against the coronavirus. Organizers are asking participants not to bring posters or any signs. “Don’t give the police any excuse to make arrests,” Yashin wrote on Facebook, urging everyone to observe social distancing and wear masks and gloves.

Days after Boris Nemtsov’s murder and every year since, the late politician’s supporters have marched to commemorate his life and condemn his killing. Yashin told journalists at Open Media that Moscow city officials don’t object to this year’s memorial event, so long as participants observe the capital’s pandemic safety requirements.