Rick Moran and most other observers of Russia assume that the Latin adage “cui bono?” (“who benefits?”) is enough to presume responsibility for the death of Boris Nemtsov belongs to Vladimir Putin. But if this is a sanctioned "termination with extreme prejudice," it's clumsy and unprofessional. Certainly not worthy of a president, former KGB colonel; indeed, a station chief in East Germany.

Surely too, it looks like a sponsored hit, but doing it where the Kremlin will be in every bit of news coverage raises some red flags. Surely, this doesn't benefit Putin personally or politically. If it's a false flag operation, a provocation, so far it's a success. No matter the culprit, the blood is again on the Putin brand. This is tragic and fishy at the same time. Boris, like Ukraine, might just be another pawn in the proxy wars, the regime change sweepstakes. Regime change, as I'm sure you have noticed, is the leitmotiv of the Obama era. 

My guess is we will see this, like all lethal political machinations, through that "wilderness of mirrors." No matter what the investigation says, like Kiev, the damage is already done. The narrative here is unlikely to be undone by any post mortem facts or analysis. 

If Putin or the FSB, had nothing to do with this incident, stand by for some serious blowback. Unlike Obama with Islamism, Vladimir and his supporters will not turn the other cheek gladly. Cold here, cold there, the world seems to be receding into another Cold War. The nuclear threshold is lowered once more in Europe. All unnecessary and all very sad.