Nemtsov Slaying Witness Says Received Threats

Anna Durytska

Ukrainian authorities say they have opened a criminal investigation after a key witness in the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov said she had received threats.

Anna Durytska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian model, was with Nemtsov when he was shot dead in central Moscow on February 27.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said on March 6 that Durytska told Kyiv police she had received death threats from unknown people.

It said Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin had ordered that "all necessary measures are taken to protect the life and health" of Durytska.

A spokesman for the Prosecutor-General's Office, Andriy Demartyno, told the AFP news agency that several "police special forces officers" will ensure her safety.

Durytska said on March 3 that she did not see Nemtsov's killer, and could not make out the model or license-plate number of a car she saw near the scene.

Based on reporting by AFP, Interfax, and UNIAN