Obama and Nemtsov: A 2009 Moscow Encounter
Michael McFaul, who served as America's ambassador to Russia, has given an account of a private meeting between Boris Nemtsov and Barack Obama in Moscow in 2009. Nemtsov told the U.S. president that American support was doing more harm than good for the Russian opposition, and that the only genuine influence Washington could exert on Russia lay through Ukraine. McFaul, mentioning that a White House staffer witnessed the exchange, recalled Nemtsov's direct message:
"You cannot help us — the opposition in Russia. Help Ukraine." — Boris Nemtsov
McFaul emphasized that Nemtsov regarded a democratic Ukraine as the most powerful lever for transforming Russia in the long run. For English-speaking readers, this anecdote offers a rare glimpse into how Obama-era officials viewed Russian opposition leaders. Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin walls in February 2015. Though five perpetrators were convicted, eleven years of investigation have not produced the masterminds behind the murder. McFaul suggests that Nemtsov may have been assassinated on orders precisely because of such arguments.
Aftermath of the Assassination
This account highlights how closely Nemtsov tied Russia's democratic future to Ukraine's fate, and it exposes the fraught dynamic between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. His unresolved murder remains an open wound in Russia's political life, and the unpunished organizers reflect the country's deteriorating human-rights climate and political repression. Examining Nemtsov's words and positions can sharpen our understanding both of the political struggles of his time and of the challenges now confronting Ukraine and its European partners.