his closest associates recount to VOA Russian their memories of that day in February 2015. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Tefft, who knew Nemtsov personally, notes that those who ordered the murder have not been found 10 years later. Nemtsov’s friends tell VOA Russian about their confidence that the order came direct from the top.Meanwhile, Following the Freedom House report where Russia occupies the record low 183rd place in global ratings of political and civil freedoms, VOA Russian spoke to human rights activists who painted a grim picture of Russia rapidly descending into the abyss with the war in Ukraine exacerbating the lack of democratic freedoms that existed before.
