Boris Nemtsov
A charismatic Russian reformer turned fearless opposition leader, whose assassination on a bridge near the Kremlin made him a symbol of resistance.
1959–2015 (age 56)·Russian scientist, statesman, and politician·Birthday: October 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Boris Nemtsov began as a brilliant young physicist in Nizhny Novgorod, but the collapse of the Soviet Union catapulted him into politics. As the region's first democratically elected governor, he became a laboratory for free-market reforms, earning national acclaim and the trust of President Boris Yeltsin, who brought him to Moscow as a deputy prime minister. The hopeful, fast-paced 1990s defined his political identity as a liberal, pro-Western modernizer. When Vladimir Putin rose to power, Nemtsov transformed into one of the system's most eloquent and persistent critics, co-authoring reports exposing corruption among the elite and organizing mass street protests. His murder in 2015, gunned down within sight of the Kremlin walls, shocked the world and extinguished a leading voice for democracy, turning him into a potent martyr for the Russian opposition.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Boris was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Boris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Boris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2015Died at 56
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Served as the first democratically elected Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast from 1991 to 1997, implementing pioneering economic reforms.
- Appointed Russian First Deputy Prime Minister in 1997, overseeing the social sector and reforms in housing and utilities.
- Co-founded the liberal political party Union of Right Forces and later the opposition coalition Solidarnost.
- Authored and published critical investigative reports on high-level corruption, including 'Putin. The Results' and 'Winter Olympics in the Sub-Tropics'.
- Was a key organizer of the massive 'For Fair Elections' protests in Moscow in 2011-2012.
Did You Know?
He was a trained physicist who worked at a radio physics research institute before entering politics.
In the early 1990s, he famously advised citizens to 'take as much sovereignty as you can swallow', a phrase often cited in debates about Russian federalism.
He was a skilled amateur guitar player and singer, known to perform at political gatherings.
The bridge near the Kremlin where he was killed has become an informal memorial, constantly covered in flowers and portraits that authorities regularly remove.
“Putin is afraid of me because I tell the truth. He is afraid of the truth.”
