Funeral service for Alexei Navalny is under way in Moscow
Ruslan Shaveddinov, an ally of Alexei Navalny, said that the funeral service for the late Russian opposition politician was under way in Moscow, reports Reuters.
Loud chants of “Navalny” rang out as Navalny’s coffin was carried out of a black hearse on arrival at the church, say the news agency. Shouts of “Alexei” could be heard on the YouTube live stream also as well as clapping when the hearse arrived at the church.
Anatoly Navalny and Lyudmila Navalnaya, parents of Alexei Navalny, were pictured walking to the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows on Friday for the funeral service.
Key events
Hundreds gather for Alexei Navalny funeral amid heavy police presence – video
Supporters of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny formed long queues near the church in Moscow before his funeral on Friday. People chanted “Navalny” as his coffin was carried out of a black hearse on arrival at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God. You can view the video here:
Guardian reporter Pjotr Sauer has been following Alexei Navalny’s funeral in Moscow and will shortly have a report that we can share.
In the meantime, he has shared a video from the independent news outlet Mediazona which shows crowds of people lining the roads outside the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows ahead of Navalny’s funeral service. You can hear the crowds chanting “Navalny” and clapping.
Alexei Navalny is also being remembered in other locations outside Moscow today. Here are some of the images coming in from Berlin on the newswires:
Funeral service for Alexei Navalny is under way in Moscow
Ruslan Shaveddinov, an ally of Alexei Navalny, said that the funeral service for the late Russian opposition politician was under way in Moscow, reports Reuters.
Loud chants of “Navalny” rang out as Navalny’s coffin was carried out of a black hearse on arrival at the church, say the news agency. Shouts of “Alexei” could be heard on the YouTube live stream also as well as clapping when the hearse arrived at the church.
Anatoly Navalny and Lyudmila Navalnaya, parents of Alexei Navalny, were pictured walking to the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows on Friday for the funeral service.
As mentioned previously, the funeral is being live-streamed on the Alexei Navalny YouTube channel. You can follow it in Russian here.
Also, here are a couple more of the latest images from Moscow on the newswires:
AP have the following update:
Hours before the funeral was set to start, hundreds waited to enter the church under the watch of police who deployed in big numbers. Western diplomats were spotted in the long line.
On livestreamed footage, his coffin could be seen being taken out of the vehicle, with the crowd applauding and chanting in the background: “Navalny! Navalny!”
The funeral is streamed live on Navalny’s YouTube channel, added AP.
Here are a couple of images from the newswires showing the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow, where Alexei Navalny is due to buried today:
Kremlin says any unsanctioned gathering for Navalny will violate the law
The Kremlin said that any unsanctioned gatherings in support of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is to be buried on Friday in Moscow, will violate the law, reports Reuters.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to give any assessment of Navalny as a political figure and said he had nothing to say to Navalny’s family.
“Just a reminder that we have a law that must be followed. Any unauthorised gatherings will be in violation of the law, and those who participate in them will be held accountable – again, in line with the current law,” Kremlin Peskov said.
Navalny died suddenly on 16 February in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving sentences totalling more than 30 years.
A large crowd gathered on Friday near the Moscow church where he is due to be buried, and his supporters have asked people to turn out in his memory in Russian cities in the evening.
Navalny’s team says a hearse carrying the body of the Russian opposition leader is headed to church
Alexei Navalny’s team says a hearse carrying the body of the Russian opposition leader is headed to church for his funeral, reports AP.
Around an hour and a half before the service was due to begin, Navalny’s allies said more than 1,000 people had gathered near Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow to say goodbye to him. Reuters could not independently verify that figure.
Reuters report that tension is high ahead of Navalny’s funeral because the Russian authorities have outlawed his movement as extremist and cast his supporters as US-backed troublemakers out to foment revolution.
Guardian reporter, Pjotr Sauer has shared a video on X of a long line forming before the entry to the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows where Alexei Navalny’s memorial service will take place.
The video was filmed by Russian reporter Vasiliy Polonsky on Friday morning, about two hours before the funeral.