Boris Nemtsov killing: Russian state TV releases grainy footage purporting to show death of Putin critic

Unverified footage is obscured during crucial moments

Footage released by the state broadcaster show little (ITN)

Grainy footage of the alleged final moments of outspoken Putin critic Boris Nemtsov has been released by a state TV broadcaster.

The unverified footage, overlooking the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, shows two small figures walking alongside the motorway under the bright street lights.

A snow-clearing truck moves alongside the couple and conceals them from sight, as a man can just be seen running towards them. The same person runs towards the pair’s last seen location before the car speeds away.

Crucially, the snow truck obscures the couple during much of the released footage.

TV Centre, the state broadcaster that is showing the footage, has superimposed its own time stamp on the video which claims to correlate with the official time of death.

It is believed that Mr Nemtsov was shot around 11.40pm on Friday while crossing bridge - which is in clear view of the Kremlin - accompanied by his 23-year-old Ukrainian girlfriend Anna Duritskaya.

Ms Duritskaya, apparently the sole witness to the murder, has remained under police guard since Saturday.

Questions have been raised over the lack of footage surrounding the incident.

The bridge, close to the Russian government’s headquarters, is usually under close surveillance.

Local authorities claim Mr Nemtsov was killed by six shots from a Mazurka pistol, and that there were two individuals, in a white Ford vehicle, involved.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has promised “personal control” over the investigation.

Tens of thousands took to Moscow’s streets yesterday in commemoration of Mr Nemtsov.

A vocal critic of Mr Putin, the former deputy PM was reviled by some pro-Putin organisations, and had been planning a march on Sunday against his government’s – much denied – involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

Additional reporting by Press Association