Putin says politically motivated crimes must stop

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that politically motivated crimes such as the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov must be stopped.

"Russia should get rid of the tragedies like what we have witnessed recently. I mean the daring murder of Boris Nemtsov happened right in the center of the capital," Putin told the Russian Interior Ministry.

Nemtsov, who was a former deputy prime minister, was shot dead at about midnight last Saturday near the Kremlin when he was strolling with Ukrainian model Anna Duritskaya.

Putin blamed "extremists" for the crime and said their aim is to provoke civil unrest in Russia.

"Actions of the extremists have become more and more sophisticated. We see attempts from organizing illegal street actions to open hatred propaganda in the social networks," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

The extremists attempt to eventually undermine Russia's sovereignty by inciting nationalism, intolerance and aggression, the president stressed, citing Ukraine as an example of their success.

Law enforcement agencies must pay special attention to politically motivated crimes, Putin said. Endi