Russia's army of avengers

In all likelihood no one in the Kremlin actually ordered the killing — and this is part of the reason Mr. Nemtsov’s murder marks the beginning of yet another new and frightening period in Russian history. The Kremlin has recently created a loose army of avengers who believe they are acting in the country’s best interests, without receiving any explicit instructions. Despite his lack of political clout, Mr. Nemtsov was a logical first target for this menacing force.

Russia is a country at war — it has been waging battle against Ukraine for a year — and like any country at war, it has focused much of its rhetorical effort on the domestic opposition. The word “opposition” itself is misleading: It suggests having access to media and electoral and social mechanisms, when those have ceased to exist in Russia. More accurately, there are a number of individuals in Russia who are capable of gathering small groups of supporters, waging limited local electoral action, transmitting messages through the tiny remnants of independent media and occasionally organizing street protests.