As of: February 29, 2024, 5:24 p.m
By: Richard Strobl
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Alexei Navalny's team has set a date for the Kremlin critic's funeral.
The bitterness over Putin's bullying is also clear.
Moscow – “Come early” – Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh made this additional request in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (February 28).
In it she announced the date for the Kremlin critic's funeral.
In another long post, the Navalny team also shows how difficult the Russian authorities are making it for them to organize the funeral service.
“The devils came out again to mock Alexei, even when he was no longer there.” These words begin a long post by Ivan Zhdanov from the Navalny team, which was also shared by spokeswoman Yarmysh.
Zhdanov is head of the Navalny Foundation to fight corruption, which has been banned in Russia since 2021, and is apparently involved in the organization of the funeral.
He provides insights into the new control of Vladimir Putin's power apparatus.
Navalny is buried in Moscow: team reports problems with planning
These began when Alexei Navalny's mother was denied access to her son's body for a long time.
Then she was allowed to see the body, but not take it with her.
In the last few days, the Navalny team apparently began an almost desperate search for a place for a memorial service.
Many locations declined, saying they were fully booked.
One venue even reportedly openly admitted that funeral homes had been banned from working with the Navalny team, spokeswoman Yarmaysh said, without giving further details.
According to Zhdanov, the funeral had actually been planned to be held on February 29th.
“It was simply the right day for several reasons,” he says at X.
However, it quickly became clear that there was “not a single person who would dig a grave” that day.
A possible background: On February 29th, Vladimir Putin will give his big state of the nation speech.
So it’s a delicate appointment.
It seems obvious that the Kremlin ruler would be reluctant to see a sensational funeral of his dead opponent as a counter-event to his speech.
But that’s not why the day was chosen, Zhdanov continues: “We don’t care about the message.
Alexei must be buried.”
“Bastards”: Navalny’s team openly expresses anger at being manipulated by the Putin regime over the funeral
That's why the team looked for a church and a place for the funeral service on March 1st.
“Everywhere they refused to give us anything,” reports the Russian living in exile.
Finally a large hall was found.
However, in the Novokosino district of Moscow.
This is just under 30 minutes by car from the Borisowski Cemetery.
But even though they had been told that the hall was available, the rental agreement ultimately did not come about.
“The devils don’t calm down,” Zhdanov says angrily.
Finally, the officials again set conditions for the funeral.
These had already been brought to Navalny's mother - she spoke of "blackmail".
A “quiet family funeral with farewell at the Khovanskoye Cemetery” was called for.
But the Navalny team apparently did not want to comply with this demand.
“Generally there will be no hall.
Bastards.
They don't give a date.
They don’t provide a hall,” Zhdanov continues.
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The date and place for Navalny's funeral have been set: explosive decision
The Navalny team then makes a very explosive decision: there will be a funeral service in a church in Moscow's Maryino district at 2 p.m.
The funeral will take place at 4 p.m. at the Borisovsky Cemetery in southeast Moscow.
Both places are almost ten minutes away from each other by car.
“Everyone will say goodbye to Alexei anyway,” says Zhdanov, referring to the lack of a hall for the funeral service.
Many people around the world are mourning the death of the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
© IMAGO/Aleksander Kalka
It was precisely this call for a public funeral that Putin's regime apparently tried to prevent.
On the one hand, it now remains unclear how many Navalny supporters will pay their last respects to the Kremlin critic.
It also remains unclear how Putin's power apparatus would act against a possible large funeral ceremony.
A first foretaste of how harsh the Kremlin could take action was already seen in spontaneous expressions of mourning after Navalny's death was made public.
Police closed off places where mourners gathered and arrested dozens of Navalny supporters.
Russia faces explosive days ahead with Putin's speech and Navalny's funeral.
(rist)