Vladimir Putin today demanded an end to 'shameful ' political assassinations in the wake of the shooting of a Kremlin critic last week . Boris Nemtsov , a former deputy prime minister , was gunned down as he walked with his Ukrainian girlfriend on Friday night near Red Square . He was the most prominent opposition figure to be killed in Russia during Putin 's 15-year rule . The Kremlin has denied any involvement , saying that the killing was a 'provocation ' designed to discredit Putin and strengthen his opponents . Scroll down for video . Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an Interior Ministry board meeting in Moscow , where he called for an end to the 'shame ' of political killings which have plagued the Kremlic in recent years . Gunned down : Nemtsov ( left ) and his 23-year-old model girlfriend , Anna Duritskaya ( right ) were walking through Moscow after having dinner on Friday night when he was shot four times in the back . But Nemtsov 's friends say the Kremlin is to blame for fomenting an atmosphere of hatred towards its opponents . In a speech during a meeting with officials from the interior ministry , Putin said : 'The most serious attention should be paid to high-profile crimes , including the ones with a political subtext . 'Russia should be devoid at last of the kind of shame and tragedies that we have recently endured and seen . ' I mean the murder , the audacious murder of Boris Nemtsov right in the centre of the capital . ' Law enforcement officials have said one lead they were exploring was that the killing was linked to Nemtsov 's personal life or business dealings . Putin 's comments indicated that version is now being discarded . Authorities have not made any arrests . Honoured : People applaud as workers carry the coffin of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov during a ceremony at the Sakharov centre in Moscow , where his body was laid in state after he was shot dead on Friday . Goodbye : Nemtsov 's mother Dina Eidman , his secretary Inna Krolyova and daughter Dina ( from left to right ) pay their last respects at the mourning ceremony . Earlier on Wednesday , the director of Russia 's Federal Security Service said that an investigation had identified several suspects , without giving details . Russian news agencies reported that investigators were seeking a car in connection to the killing that may be connected to the finance ministry . The ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters that the car , a Ford , does not belong to the ministry itself but was owned by a state enterprise which provides security to government institutions , including the finance ministry . The vehicle drove past the spot where Nemtsov was shot after the killing and when police patrol cars had already arrived at the scene , the statement said . Thousands of Russians yesterday paid their final respects to Nemtsov when he was laid to rest in the capital . The politician 's mother Dina , 87 , and four children laid him to rest , with ex-UK prime minister Sir John Major leading Western mourners attending his funeral .
Putin says Russia ' should be devoid of tragedies with a political subtext ' Former deputy PM Nemtsov died near Moscow 's parliament Square last week . critics blame Putin for an atmosphere of hatred for critics . Putin 's comments suggest his killing was not linked to his personal life .