Russians flood Navalny's funeral with flowers and anti-war chants
Alexey Navalny was laid to rest on Friday at the Borisov Cemetery in Moscow. Tens of thousands of Russians paid their respects to the late opposition leader. The coffin carrying Navalny's body was gently placed into the grave to the sounds of an orchestra playing Frank Sinatra's "My Way," as reported by the independent Russian news outlet Meduza.
Anti-war chants as thousands bid farewell to Navalny
"Russia will be free. Putin is a killer", "Love is stronger than fear", and "No to war" - these were among the powerful messages voiced by the crowd gathered outside the church for Navalny's funeral. The line to pay final respects extended for nearly 2 miles. Other chants like "Navalny," "don't give up," and "we won't forget" were also heard.
As Navalny's coffin reached the church, applause and chants of "Navalny, Navalny" erupted from the crowd, who also proclaimed, "You were not afraid, and we are not afraid either."
Tens of thousands of Russians paid their respects to Navalny. Those wishing to lay flowers at his grave queued for hours. The event saw arrests; independent monitoring group OVD-Info noted that at least 128 individuals were detained on Friday at events related to Navalny's funeral across 19 Russian cities, including Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Saint Petersburg, and Sochi.
On Saturday morning, the mothers of Alexey and Julia Navalnaya, who were unable to personally bid farewell to her husband, visited his grave.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov cautioned on Friday morning that participating in unauthorised gatherings could lead to severe repercussions. Thousands of people wishing to attend Navalny's funeral were prevented by police from participating in the service over his coffin.
Was the broadcast signal disrupted in Moscow?
CNN reported that their broadcast signal from Moscow was likely interfered with while covering the funeral ceremonies, vanishing without explanation 20 minutes before they began and only returning as they concluded.
It was earlier reported that the streaming of the funeral ceremony by Navalny's team faced interruptions due to mobile operators blocking calls and jamming mobile phone signals. According to The Insider on Thursday, an antenna was placed near the church by security forces to ensure communication was maintained.
The unexpected death of Alexey Navalny
On February 16, Russian authorities announced the sudden passing of Navalny, Vladimir Putin's most prominent political adversary. It was reported that Navalny died in a penal colony located near the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence and was at risk of facing up to 30 years. The authorities declined to release the politician's body to his family.
