MOSCOW, July 26 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) – Around 42 per cent of Russians believe that Zaur Dadayev, sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, is guilty of the crime, a survey carried out by the Russian public opinion poll center VTsIOM shows.

About 35 per cent of Russians aware of Nemtsov’s activities (19 per cent in the 18 to 24 age group and 44 per cent in the group of 60-year old and above respondents) closely followed the court hearings, VTsIOM says in the survey report. Out of the total number of respondents, 42 per cent said Dadayev was guilty, 19 per cent disagreed, and 39 per cent were unsure how to answer the question. Eighty-one per cent of respondents who have heard about Nemtsov could not provide any opinion about alleged organizers of the murder.

Boris Nemtsov, 55, a prominent opposition politician, who held a number of high-ranking posts in the Russian government in the 1990s and in the 2000s joined the opposition, was shot down in the center of Moscow as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin on the night of February 28, 2015.

Investigators believe that the conspirators in the murder had thoroughly prepared to commit this crime and spied on the victim. Five men have been charged with contract murder, illegal acquisition, carrying and keeping of weapons.

On July 13, the Moscow District Military Court sentenced murderers of Nemtsov to prison terms varying from 11 to 20 years. The court ruled in accordance with the will of the jury panel founding all defendants guilty. Zaur Dadayev, Nemtsov’s first-hand killer was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Anzor Gubashev was sentenced to 19 years, Shadid Gubashev to 16 years, Temirlan Eskerkhanov to 14 years and Khamzat Bakhayev to 11 years behind bars. The court fined defendants 100,000 rubles (about $1,700). Shadid and Anzor Gubashev, Eskerkhanov and Bakhayev were also subjected to additional restriction of freedom for two years.

Ruslan Mukhudinov, a former officer in Chechen Interior Ministry, is believed to be a mastermind of the murder. He was placed on the international wanted list in November 2015. Beslan Shavanov, who allegedly was also implicated in the crime, reportedly killed himself when police tried to arrest him. Criminal prosecution of Shavanov was dismissed because of his death. Investigation into Mukhudinov is underway.