On May 25, 2022, Boris Nemtsov Street was opened in Bratislava. The new name has already appeared on Google Maps. This is the part of Godrov Street in the capital of Slovakia, where the Russian embassy is located. The decision to rename the street after Boris Nemtsov made in the beginning of the war in Ukraine. We thank residents and the City Council of Bratislava for the memory of Boris Nemtsov and an important gesture of solidarity with pro-democracy Russians who, like Nemtsov, condemn the invasion of Ukraine. A couple of hours before the street opening, Zhanna Nemtsova met with Slovak President Zuzana Chaputova. The politician’s eldest daughter and co-founder of the Boris Nemtsov Foundation gave a speech at the street opening ceremony:
«Thank you for inviting me today. On behalf of my family I’d like to say how grateful we are to everyone who came up with the initiative to rename the street we are standing on today after my father Boris Nemtsov. Special thanks to the authorities of Bratislava for having taken this timely decision. It is the fifth capital where there is a place named after Boris Nemtsov. You can find those places in Washington DC, Prague, Kyiv and Vilnius. It is a powerful sign of solidarity with the Russians who are resisting Putin within the country and outside it. People in Russia, Ukraine and the world are still discovering Boris Nemtsov. I continue to receive direct messages on my social media accounts that praise my father for his acute political vision and, in particular, for the fact that he understood the true intentions of Putin earlier than many others and his diagnosis was absolutely to the point — Putin means war and crisis! Unlike Putin, Nemtsov means hope for Russia as his is an important part of our political culture. Unfortunately, it is still not prevailing but important. Many of these messages I was taking about were sent by younger people who admit that they were children or teenagers when my father was assassinated in 2015 and only now have discovered Nemtsov. I believe that my father’s vision that Russia should be a democracy will gradually gain even more popularity in Russia and his legacy will never be forgotten. No to war!»
