Ponomarev, who is an outspoken critic of Russian leadership and cast the lone vote opposing the annexation of Crimea, said the move by his fellow parliamentarians was not unexpected given the current atmosphere in Russia.

Ponomarev is currently residing in the U.S. and continues his fight for a more free and democratic Russia.  He said the removal of his parliamentary immunity was so formal charges could be filed against him in a case regarding the Skolkovo Foundation.  Ponomarev is accused of embezzlement, but fiercely denies the charges and views them as yet another example of how people who disagree with Kremlin policy are singled out and punished.

“What happened in the Duma today is another act of war. The war is not with me; it is not even with the Russian opposition,” he said.  “It is the war Putin is waging against the middle class people, all entrepreneurs – those who were awaken by ‘reset’ policies and those who demanded changes in Bolotnaya square in Moscow in 2011-12.”

Despite the pending inquiry, Ponomarev says he will not be slowed in his efforts to win greater freedoms for the Russian people and will do so outside of the system with the current move by Kremlin-backed prosecutors.  “Many of us who disagree with the current regime are in the U.S., and the Kremlin is comfortable with it.  But we will get more organized and we will be back – as it happened already not once and not twice in Russian history,” he explained.  “We will not feel sorry for those who initiated that farce in the State Duma – formerly Russian parliament.”

Besides the vote on Crimea, Ponomarev was an active participant and organizer of Russian opposition actions in 2011-2013. As a Member of Russian Parliament he proposed bills aimed at the country’s development. In June 2012, together with fellow A Just Russia party member, Dmitry Gudkov, he conducted a filibuster at the Duma protesting against amendments that toughened the rules of conducting rallies.

While staying in the U.S. for now, Ponomarev continues to connect his future with Russia and to fight for ordinary Russians against what he believes is a corrupt and repressive regime.

He is one of the most vigorous, charismatic, charming, magnetic and passionate personalities in Russian politics. He is straight, honest and incorruptible. He is a very bright star. His energy and his enthusiasm constantly move us forward. He has always lived on the edge. He never gives up. He is one of the few free persons in our enslaved country. He is undoubtedly a grand historic figure. He will always be alive in our hearts, in the cause he believed in and that we promise to continue.

Boris Nemtsov was shot in the back on February 27, 2015. Strangely, those words are easier to believe in than the words he is not alive. Easier, because it’s a shock but not a surprise that Putin’s Russia assassinates its opponents and because a mafia state operates like that. We remember Listiev, Yushenkov, Starovoitova, Politkovskaya, Shchekochikhin, Litvinenko, Estimirova, Magnitsky and others. We let the regime take us out one by one. When is our red line, our rubicon?

Isn’t it time for the Russian opposition and civil society to stand up and confront the corrupt and criminal regime? It is  enough to keep silent, pretend we are fine or act in half-measures. Boris has devoted himself fully to the fight for our freedom.

He has had a dream of a Free Russia. Let’s combine and multiply our efforts! Our country is owned by a gang of crooks and thieves, murderers of people like Boris and thereby the killing of our dignity and future.

The loss of Boris is huge and incomprehensible. He is a hero. He is a martyr. But let’s not let his death be in vain. Let’s make Russia Free. He wanted it. We deserve it. Let’s take our country back.

The person, time and location of shooting were not a coincidence. Boris’s shooting was symbolic. He was one of the few consolidating figures in the Russian opposition. He was an opposition figure of a global level.

He was a visionary. He was killed coldly near the Kremlin and on the eve of a big protest rally. In our long, Russian history our rulers liked to execute their rivals near the Kremlin. It’s a clear signal to all the dissenters: leave or you’ll be in jail or murdered. It’s a clear signal to the entire country, to its law-enforcement structures and to the public as well. Like a metastasis it will leak from Moscow to the regions: it’s ok to get rid of your political opponents. It nourishes the atmosphere of hatred and intolerance. It destroys our society.

We have established the Free Russia Foundation because we have a strong vision of Russia After Putin, the vision of the country that still has hope for a democratic future. We have started it because we deeply understand how bad the situation is in our homeland and how strong the pressure is that the government places on any person with a free mind.

This hope is fading from day to day. If we don’t fight for changes today, it might be too late tomorrow.

Russians, wake up! Let’s build a successful society and stop being a global threat, invading neighbors and killing our own people. The murder of Boris is a bitter loss for all of us – those of us, like him, are dreaming of a Free Russia.

Let’s make Russia free! Join us today! Together we can make it happen.

The Free Russia Foundation team