Boris Nemtsov, the former Russian Deputy prime minister, was shot in front of the Kremlin last week.

An unidentified man pulled up in a car, shot Nemtsov, then escaped.

Nemtsov was the opposition, and often critic, of the current Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

“I think that one should be concerned about their safety when they actively protest against those in power,” said sophomore Brittany Cheung.

As deputy prime minister, Nemtsov worked to achieve economic reform in Russia. Recently he had been loudly opposed to Russia’s involvement with Ukraine.

Nemtsov was scheduled to lead an opposition protest before his death, which has since been canceled.

Instead, tens of thousands of Russians marched to the site of Nemtov’s death to lay flowers and pay their respects.

The crowds also chanted anti-Putin slogans.

“I believe that when such a significant person in a movement is gone, it deals a blow to the whole movement,” said sophomore Jonathan Li.

After Nemtsov’s death, Putin took over the investigation. According to CNN, Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin believes the murderer was looking to cause upheaval.

Others believe that the murder was conducted by Islamic radicals while some believe that Putin himself was responsible for Nemtsov’s death.

Weeks earlier, in the Russian Sobesednik news site, Nemtsov was quoted saying that he was worried Putin might kill him.

According to information from BBC News, it would not be the first time that one of Putin’s rivals ended up dead.

Examples include Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist, who was shot by her home, and Alexander Litvinenko, a spy who was poisoned with polonium.

“I think it’s important to be able to have the freedom to say what you want because it prevents tyrants from ruling over people,” said sophomore Noah Shamsai.