Over 1,000 people gathered near the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow yesterday to offer their final respects to the late Alexei Navalny, as per Leonid Volkov, an associate of the Russian dissident, during a live broadcast. Reuters was unable to cross-check the number of people gathered from an independent source.
Kira Yarmysh, a spokesperson for Navalny, had earlier cautioned about a potential delay in the ceremony since his body had not yet been released to his family.
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was buried in the Borovskoye cemetery in Moscow, his associate Ivan Zhdanov said in a post on X.
The coffin containing his remains was laid to rest to the tunes of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and the melody from the movie “Terminator 2” (a film Navalny adored).
Outside the cemetery, thousands of his supporters waited to enter and bid their final farewell to the Russian politician.
Then, a few minutes before the cemetery closed, the authorities allowed his supporters to enter and pay their respects to Alexei Navalny.
Kremlin: Any unauthorized gathering is a violation of the law
The Kremlin announced yesterday that any unauthorized gathering in support of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was buried yesterday in Moscow, is a violation of the law.
In a telephone interview, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to give any assessment of Navalny as a political figure and noted that he had no message for the family of the late Russian dissident.
According to AFP reporters, hundreds of Russians gathered near the church in Moscow where the funeral service for the Kremlin critic was held, with a noticeable presence of police forces in the area.
A lengthy line formed outside the church in southeastern Moscow, with mourners, some tearful and others carrying flowers, waiting to offer their final respects to the departed.
Powerful police forces, deployed for the event, set up metal barriers across the area.
“Just a reminder that we have a law that must be obeyed. Any unauthorized gathering will be regarded as a violation of the law, and individuals found participating in such gatherings will be subject to legal consequences as outlined in existing legislation,” the Kremlin spokesperson said.
The funeral took place amidst heavy security and concerns of police crackdowns, occurring two weeks after Navalny’s untimely death at 47 years old in an Arctic penal colony.
Source: ANA-MPA / Translated by Thanos Chrysanthopoulos
