A little after 1 p.m., the coffin of Alexei Navalny arrived at the Borisovsky cemetery in Moscow. To the tunes of a string quartet, his closest family, friends and supporters bid a final farewell. After a short ceremony in a church two kilometers away, the former opposition politician is now buried. Former supporters have shared both photos and video from the ceremony earlier Friday: Photo from the funeral ceremony of Alexei Navalny. Photo: AP On the left sit Navalny’s parents, Anatoly Navalny and Lyudmila Navalnaya. Outside the church, people stood close together and shouted “we don’t give up” steadily. They did the same outside the cemetery. Facts about Aleksej Navalny Russian regime critic and opposition politician One of the clearest and most vocal critics of Vladimir Putin At the beginning of his political career, he focused on nationalist issues In the last ten years, he focused on corruption in the Russian regime Strong critic of Vladimir Putin Tried to stood for election in Russia in 2018, but did not get his candidacy approved In August 2020 was poisoned with the nerve agent novichok Was arrested in January 2021, when he returned to Russia Was – through several trials – sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison In December 2023 he was moved to a penal camp in Siberia On February 16, the prison authorities announced that he had died after a walk Several actors, both foreign and Navalny’s supporters, believe he was killed by Putin and his regime – Love you forever After the funeral, Julia Navalnaya, widow after Navalny, the man thanked in a statement on Instagram. – For love, for support, for making me laugh – even when you were in prison, for always having me in your thoughts, Navalnaja writes in the post. She further writes that she does not know how she will live without her husband, but that she will try to make him proud. – I don’t know if I’ll make it, but I’ll try. – Love you forever. Rest in peace, she concludes. Photo: Screenshot / Instagram Earlier on Friday, it was announced that the funeral could be delayed. First because the family could not hand over the body, then because they struggled to get hold of a stretcher that could transport the remains to the church. The background for the challenges with renting a stretcher is said to be that the funeral parlors in the city had been threatened, according to Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s former chief of staff. The coffin with the deceased Alexei Navalny is carried into the church in Moscow. Photo: APK The coffin with the deceased Alexei Navalny is carried into the church in Moscow. Photo: AP Long queue at the church During the morning several thousand people gathered outside the church. Several of them told news that they had turned up to say goodbye to Navalny. According to the organization OVD-Info, more than 128 arrests have been made in 19 different cities in connection with the funeral. Several are said to have been arrested while laying flowers during commemorations. Earlier on Friday, the Kremlin issued a statement warning against protests or large gatherings in connection with the funeral. People are queuing to enter the church where Navalny is to be buried. Photo: Stringer / Reuters – He was a great person, says Tatjana, one of the many who had turned up at the church. – He made me understand that I had to take part in political elections, and that I had to stand for election myself, in order to change our society, she told news. Tatjana is convinced that Navalny was killed. Tatjana is one of many Russians who showed up to say goodbye to Alexei Navalny on Friday. Photo: Gro Holm / news Marina, who was also standing in line, said she couldn’t resist coming. She believes it is a civic duty to say goodbye to Navalny. – He was a hero, it is my civic duty to be here, she said. When asked if she fears the consequences of appearing, she answered yes. – But I don’t have much to lose. I have many acquaintances who supported Navalny, who are not here today. They have more to lose, she says to news. Marina believes it is a civic duty to attend the funeral. Photo: Gro Holm / news Large police presence Fences with fixed cameras had been set up around the church where the funeral ceremony was to take place. The opposition Russian online newspaper Meduza writes that the fences were put up from the nearest metro station, all the way to the church. Fences were also erected along a bridge to the cemetery. Several cars had parked along the road towards the church, to be able to block the road if necessary. Several cars were parked along the road towards the church on Friday. Photo: Gro Holm / news In addition, there was a huge police presence around the church and the cemetery. Police were also stationed on the roofs of nearby houses. Blue buses could also be seen in the area around the church and the cemetery. The buses are used by Omonsoldiers, a type of Russian special forces. There were also many of them outside the church. Omon soldiers in front of the entrance to the church. Photo: Gro Holm / news According to Varlamov News, the Russian security services FSB and FSO must have blocked 4G coverage in the area around the church. This is what the channel writes in a message on Telegram. Thinks Putin killed him On Friday 16 February, 47-year-old Navalny was reported dead by Russian prison authorities. According to them, Navalny felt ill after a walk, lost consciousness and died. Several actors and people were quickly on the pitch and commented on the death. Many believe Navalny was actually killed. Among them was Joe Biden, who a few hours after the death news was a fact, said that “like the rest of the world, I am not surprised, but outraged”. – Let there be no doubt: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death, Biden said. A couple of days later, Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny, was out with the same message. – Putin killed my husband. He did it because he couldn’t break him, Navalnya said a couple of days after the man’s death. The Kremlin has described Navalnaya’s statements as “unfounded and vulgar”.
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Navalny will be buried – several thousand people have turned up outside the church – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
