Two weeks after Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic prison, his family can finally say goodbye.
Mourners stood silently around the coffin of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a candlelit church in Moscow on Friday, as thousands paid their respects outside the church.
Two weeks after Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic prison, his family can finally say goodbye.
This unassuming domed Orthodox church in a quiet corner of Moscow was not exactly packed, with many people standing outside waiting to enter.
Among those approved were Alexei Navalny’s parents. His body lay in the coffin, his face sallow and haggard.
When the brief funeral was over, the coffin was immediately closed, and many people even shouted: “Let me say goodbye, don’t close it!”
Outside, a defiant crowd of mourners who had slowly begun to gather earlier in the day clapped.
Many people held flowers and cried. Outside the cemetery where he was buried, some mourners shouted: “We will not forget you!” and “Forgive us!”.
An old man in the crowd shouted: “He told the truth about Russia. Thank you.”
His death in a high-security prison colony above the Arctic Circle sparked despair among his supporters, many of them young Russians who saw Alexei Navalny as their best chance for change.
But on Friday, that desperation turned to defiance, despite a heavy police presence and fears of arrest.
“People like him don’t deserve to die,” one mourner named Anna told AFP as thousands began winding their way through the streets toward the church.
“Honest. Principled. Ready to put himself on a pedestal. He’s been there all the way,” she said.
“The Last Hero”
There was a bustling crowd in winter coats and hats, many holding up their cellphones to film – a scene reminiscent of Alexei Navalny’s rallies in the capital a decade ago.
“It’s a little scary because you don’t know what it’s going to turn into,” said Maxim, 37, a doctor.
“But I think it’s a way for people to wake up and not stay silent.”
There has been little public dissent since the Kremlin launched a sweeping military intervention in Ukraine more than two years ago.
Dozens of police cars and officers could be seen patrolling around the church and the Borisovo cemetery, which is surrounded by a metal fence.
The Kremlin denies involvement in Alexei Navalny’s death and warns against “unauthorized” protests around the funeral.
Some people present were frightened. Most said they came just to pay their respects.
Alaina, a 22-year-old archaeologist, said she would have regretted it if she had stayed home.
“I realized I could and I needed to be here. If I didn’t… I wouldn’t forgive myself,” she told AFP.
“I’ve been asked: Why are you doing this, because the idea is dead. The idea is not dead! The person is dead, but thanks to the people here, the idea will live on,” she said.
Alexei Navalny is a lawyer by training who has used fatigue and corruption in Russian politics to inspire millions of supporters.
Some people who came on Friday were angry.
Former lawyer Inessa, 60, said there was “a lot of resentment”.
“I’m here because he is a hero, the last hero of our country.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
