Russia mourns Navalny: A nation pays homage amid tight security

On Saturday, the day after the funeral, a line of people who wanted to lay flowers at Navalny's grave formed at the Borisov Cemetery.

“For the second day in Moscow, people come to the Borisov Cemetery to honor the memory of Alexei Navalny,” informs Nexta on the X platform, attaching a video showing the queue at the cemetery.

“Visitors to the cemetery have to go through a metal detector, and the police ask those who have already laid flowers to leave the cemetery grounds immediately,” informs Sota.

Readers of Dozhd, an independent Russian TV station, describe an atmosphere of respect and solemnity at the cemetery. “At the cemetery, they ask not to delay the farewell, Navalny's name is not mentioned, they simply say 'he is deceased', 'his grave', etc. The police are calm, serving all the way to the cemetery,” they report.

The day after the funeral ceremony, Navalny's mother and mother-in-law, Lyudmila Ivanovna and Alla Vladimirovna, visited the Borisov Cemetery again. Information about their visit, along with a photo, was published by Dozhd presenter, Anna Mongait.

One of the subscribers of Alexander Plyushchev's Telegram channel stated: “You can go to the cemetery in peace,” adding that the police do not pressure the visitors and allow them to stay “as long as you want.” This shows that despite Navalny's death, his memory and influence are still strongly felt by many Russians.

On Friday, during the memorial service over Navalny's coffin, Russian police did not allow thousands of people to enter to say goodbye to the deceased oppositionist. Crowds gathering outside began chanting Navalny's name and slogans such as "We are not afraid" and "Russia will be free". The coffin with Navalny's body, which was transported to the cemetery, was covered with flowers.

On 16 February, Russian authorities announced Navalny's unexpected death. He was the most well-known political opponent of President Vladimir Putin. Navalny died in a penal colony located beyond the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence. Previously, he had faced up to 30 years in prison. The authorities refused to hand over Navalny's body to his closest relatives.

Lyudmila, Navalny's mother, was presented with an ultimatum by prison authorities. She had the choice of either agreeing to a quiet burial at a local cemetery or allowing her son to be buried on the grounds of the penal colony. Independent Russian media reported that Lyudmila appealed these actions to court. She also received support from her son's followers.