/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/FTPTR5WJONEZXMVI6ZY7JVH3TQ.jpg)
The funeral of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, who died on February 16 at the age of 47 in a prison in the Arctic Circle, was held this Friday in Moscow under strict control by security forces.
The authorities wanted a secret funeral and threatened the dissident's mother, Liudmila Navalnaya, with burying him in the prison yard if she did not accept.
She was not given her body until eight days after a still unclarified death - the official certificate refers to a "natural death" -.
Thousands of people went to the Utolí Mayá Pechali church – Turn Off My Sorrows, in Russian – in the Marino neighborhood, southeast of Moscow, and queued to attend the ceremony, despite fears of arrests.
The event has been closely monitored by the police, with riot officers patrolling even three subway stops from the scene.
Once there, access to the church was fenced with several rows of fences and metal controls, in addition to the deployment of dozens of agents from the Ministry of the Interior and the National Guard, as well as other members of the security services infiltrated among the attendees. .
Dozens of people were able to access the interior of the church, including part of the international press.
Liudmila Navalnaya, 69, sat with a candle in her hands and her gaze on her son's face in her open coffin.
The authorities did not allow anyone else to approach the coffin, except for her mother and a few relatives.
As soon as Liudmila Navalnaya said goodbye to her son, several workers carried away the coffin amid cries of indignation from those present.
Outside the church, Maxim, a 37-year-old man who had come with two other friends to say goodbye to the dissident, lamented during the hours of waiting: “There is no hope, it is impossible to have opposition within Russia.
Navalny is dead and his colleagues are detained,” added this Muscovite, who was taken by surprise by the dissident's sudden death in a remote Arctic prison.
“But even so, it was predictable,” he considered.
The three friends have been sparing when recalling how they received the news of Navalni's death on February 16.
“Terrifying,” said Maxim.
“Very sad,” said Igor, for his part.
“Without words,” Denis, 37, said at the end.
The three had attended the spontaneous tributes where Russians placed flowers in honor of Navalni at the monuments to the victims of political repression after his death became public.
“We are afraid of being arrested, of course,” said Denis.
“Look at how many police,” he noted before recounting the tension they experienced in previous tributes.
“Nothing happened to me, but they arrested a girl who was behind her in line.
And she had not done anything,” recalled the attendee at Navalni's funeral.
Family and friends of Aléxei Navalni, during his funeral this Friday in Moscow.
AP
Workers carry Alexei Navalny's coffin, moments before his funeral held this Friday in Moscow.
SERGEI ILNITSKY (EFE)
Alexei Navalny's parents, Anatoly and Lyudmila, upon arrival at the Orthodox church where the funeral is being held.AP
Workers transport the coffin with the mortal remains of Alexei Navalny, this Wednesday in Moscow.
AP
The United States ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, attends the funeral of Aléxei Navalni.Stringer (REUTERS)
Workers move Alexei Navalny's coffin, this Friday in Moscow.
SERGEI ILNITSKY (EFE)
A woman holds red carnations in her hand outside the Moscow church this Friday.
MAXIM SHIPENKOV (EFE)
Dozens of people wait outside the Orthodox church this Friday in Moscow.
Stringer (REUTERS)
A woman holds white carnations outside the Moscow church this Friday.
Stringer (REUTERS)
Arrival of the hearse with the mortal remains of Alexei Navalny this Friday at the Orthodox church in Moscow.
Stringer (REUTERS)
Dozens of police officers stand guard this Friday outside the Orthodox church in the Moscow neighborhood of Mariino.Stringer (REUTERS)
Russian citizens hold carnations outside the Orthodox church to say goodbye to Russian opponent Alexei Navalny.
Stringer (REUTERS)
Police officers guard the outside of the Moscow church this Friday.
MAXIM SHIPENKOV (EFE)
The dissident's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, warned last Wednesday that the Russian authorities could attack those attending the ceremony.
During a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in which she was visibly emotional, she warned: “I'm not sure if they will let it be peaceful or if the police will arrest those who are going to say goodbye to my husband.”
Navalnaya is outside Russia, as are her two children.
A volunteer from Navalny's team, Nadezhda, came to the doors of the church with a huge bouquet of flowers and without any hope for the future.
“I will leave Russia in the next half year.
After the elections it will be worse [the presidential elections are held this month].
There is no hope at all,” she expressed in a whisper.
“I knew Alexei and Yulia, his wife, for many years.
His death was a shock,” Nadezhda said with tears in her eyes.
"I did not expect".
The desolation was visible in the activist's words.
“Alexei tried to change things within Russia following the law, peacefully.
"I don't want to say it, no... It terrifies me to think about it, but I only see that a change within the country can be possible through weapons."
“These bandits don't give any other option, they don't allow peaceful opposition,” said the volunteer.
Navalny's entourage has accused President Vladimir Putin of being behind the death of the dissident, who had survived several attacks, such as a poisoning with the Novichok nerve agent in 2020 that left him on death's door.
After recovering in Germany, he decided to return to Russia despite the risk of being imprisoned, which was what happened.
Navalny was serving sentences for dozens of years after being accused of “supporting extremism.”
The organization he ran, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, was declared a “foreign agent.”
The dissident circle has also claimed that the Kremlin was supposedly negotiating to exchange him for a Russian espionage hitman imprisoned in Germany.
The Kremlin has denied the involvement of the State in his death and has said that it is unaware of any agreement to release Navalny.
The opponent's death certificate – according to his followers – indicates that he died of natural causes.
Human rights groups had advised those wishing to attend the funeral to bring their passports and write down the details of lawyers who could help them if they were detained.
Yelena, 53, with four roses in her hand – the even number is the traditional number of flowers at Russian funerals – said this Friday in the vicinity of the funeral: “We always had the feeling that Navalny could be saved.
The Anti-Corruption Foundation team—the organization led by the opposition—did everything possible and we believed they could exchange him.
The Kremlin has killed him with its own hands,” he maintained.
“I don't know if he killed him slowly or directly, but [the Kremlin] is responsible,” she added.
Yelena came from “a day and a half trip” to Moscow from her small town in the Urals region to say goodbye to Navalny.
She was accompanied by Victoria, 52 years old.
“One day there will be a great revolt and a better, exciting future will come, but now there is only darkness, repression, terror.
“It is very hard morally,” said Victoria, also from outside Moscow.
“Many people have not come out of fear,” Yelena pointed out.
“And people didn't know that the funeral was today in this church.”
Navalny condemned Putin's decision to attack Ukraine as a crazy enterprise built on lies.
The church hosting his funeral has made donations to the Russian military and has enthusiastically announced his support for the war.
On the eve of the funeral, the dissident's entourage accused the authorities of blocking their plans to hold a larger civil funeral and claimed that unknown persons had even managed to thwart their attempts to rent a hearse to transport him.
Follow all the international information on
and
X
, or in
our weekly newsletter
.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
Keep reading
I am already a subscriber
_