Keeping Boris Nemtsov's memory alive

Moscow, Russia - On a cold, rainy October morning, Moscow's Red Square was almost deserted. As I was making my way towards the Moscow River along the Kremlin's eastern wall, the light rain turned into a steady downpour.
By the time I stepped onto the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, gusts of strong northerly wind were making it difficult even to hold on to my umbrella.
I was looking for something I wasn't sure I would find: a sign marking the place where Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was fatally shot on February 27, 2015.
What I found was more than a sign: a dozen neatly arranged flowerpots lined the pavement of the bridge. In between the pots were black-and-white portraits of Nemtsov.
I looked around: there was no one on the pavement, except me and an elderly man with a bushy white beard and a long khaki raincoat sitting on a small stool.
I found it odd that he was just sitting there in the pouring rain. I thought perhaps he was selling something, so I approached him.
"No, I'm on shift," he said. "They destroy the memorial, so we keep watch here to make sure it doesn't disappear."
His hands emerged from under his raincoat. He took off his black mittens and introduced himself: Grigory Saksonov, a human rights defender.