Ruslan Geremeev fails to appear in court for the Nemtsov case

Ruslan Geremeev, former deputy commander of the battalion Sever, failed to appear at Moscow's District Military Court on Tuesday to testify in the trial on the murder of oppositionist leader Boris Nemtsov. The court agreed to call Geremeev's nephew Arthur in for questioning, as well.

The court secretary said that neither he nor his nephew, Artur Geremeev, appeared at the December 13th hearing. The reasons for their absence have not be specified.

On December 6, the court granted the defense the right to question Ruslan Geremeev and his nephew on the murder of Boris Nemtsov. It agreed to call the former's nephew Artur Geremeev in for questioning, as well. Then, Olga Mikhailova, a lawyer representing the injured party, said that Geremeev had served with Zaur Dadaev, who investigators believe to be the direct perpetrator of the murder. Prosecutor Maria Semenenko supported the victim's petition. Several other defense lawyers involved in the case also supported the request.

The judge refused to call to summon Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov to court.

The case of the murder of Nemtsov began at the Moscow District Military Court in early October. There are five defendants in the case, including Zaur Dadaev, a former member of the Chechen battalion Sever and allegedly the main perpetrator of the crime. All the accused have pleaded not guilty.

Investigators believe that the murder was ordered by Ruslan Muhudinov. There is a warrant out for his arrest. The investigation against him and other unidentified suspects continues.

Nemtsov family representatives have repeatedly claimed that the murder was ordered by former Sever battalion officer Ruslan Geremeev.

Boris Nemtsov was one of the most prominent Russian politicians of the 1990s and 2000s. After serving as governor of the Nizhniy Novgorod region from 1991-1997, he was at one time vetted as President Boris Yeltsin’s potential successor. Nemtsov was also a long-time leader of the liberal Soyus Pravykh Sil (Union of Right Forces).

In the 2000s, Nemtsov became an opposition leader and an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin. He authored several works on corruption in Russia and the enrichment of Putin’s inner circle.

Nemtsov was shot and killed within several yards of the Kremlin.