Putin still in control after Nemtsov killing

Russian President Vladimir Putinmet his Kyrgyz counterpart on Monday, ending the speculation of the Western media that he had been forced to lie low following the assassination of Russia's opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, which is considered one of the most outrageous political assassinations in this country.

Although details remain sketchy, the West has used the incident to launch a fresh tirade against Putin. On the day Nemtsov was shot, US President Barack Obama condemned the "brutal murder" and praised Nemtsov for his "courageous dedication to the struggle against corruption in Russia".

Nemtsov's assassination seems to have given Ukraine a reason not to implement the Minsk Agreement, the deal agreed by Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to restore peace in Ukraine's restive eastern and southern regions. This will, of course, be in the interest of the US. In fact, pro-West opposition forces in Russia are already trying to reorganize their alliance and thus push the country toward political chaos.