Summary
Here is a wrap-up of the day’s key events:
Thousands of mourners gathered on Friday for the funeral service of Russia’s most prominent Vladimir Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, in Moscow. Crowds were heard shouting “Navalny, Navalny!” when the hearse carrying his coffin arrived at the Quench My Sorrows church in the Maryino district.
Among the large crowd, many people clutched bunches of flowers and some joined in chants – “Russia will be free”, “No to war”, “Russia without Putin”, “We won’t forgive” and “Putin is a murderer”, reported Reuters. The news agency said that while police were present in large numbers, they did not intervene.
Anatoly Navalny and Lyudmila Navalnaya, Alexei’s parents, attended the service but his widow, Yulia, his son, Zakhar, and daughter, Dasha, did not as they live outside Russia for their safety. Navalny’s mother was seen being approached by mourners and supporters who hugged her and said “thank you” as she left the church with her husband.
“I don’t know how to live without you,” said Yulia Navalnaya in a goodbye message posted on X to her husband, Alexei. She thanked him for “26 years of absolute happiness” and posted a video of clips showing them together.
More than a quarter of a million people watched the farewell to Navalny on his YouTube channel, which is blocked inside Russia. According to Reuters, state media gave scant coverage to the funeral.
The Kremlin said on Friday that any unsanctioned gatherings in support of Navalny would violate the law. 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.
Western diplomats, including ambassadors from the US, Germany and France were also present at Navalny’s funeral service on Friday. Flowers, candles and pictures were also laid in memory of Navalny in cities outside Russia, such as in Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, London and Tbilisi.
Multiple mourners of Navalny have been detained by Russian authorities on Friday, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights defense group. Videos and pictures posted online by the group showed what appeared to be Russian authorities detaining mourners across multiple cities including Moscow and Novosibirsk.
In an Instagram post on Friday, Navalny’s daughter, Dasha Navalnaya, vowed to “live my life the way you taught me, to make you proud.” “I promise you that I will live my life the way you taught me, to make you proud, and most importantly, with the same bright smile on my face,” she said.
The European Union has also offered its condolences to Navalny. In a tweet on Friday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote: “EU expresses its condolences to Alexei #Navalny’s family & friends as he is laid to rest. EU Ambassador & other diplomats are paying respects. Navalny’s beliefs will not disappear-ideas cannot be tortured, poisoned or killed. He remains an inspiration for many in Russia & beyond.”
The US embassy in Russia issued a statement on Friday on Navalny’s funeral procession, calling the late opposition leader a “shining example of what Russia could and should be.” “His death is a tragic reminder of the lengths the Kremlin will go to silence its critics. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, supporters, & all those he has inspired to work for a brighter future,” the embassy said.
Speaking to CNN, independent Russian journalist Mikhail Fishman called the funeral of Alexei Navalny “one of the most sorrowful but also…an inspiring day.”
Fishman, who knew the late Russian opposition leader, told CNN on Friday:
“This is a very special funeral… It’s a very different funeral because we’re talking now about Putin’s most prominent, important enemy, personal enemy… Despite all the intimidation, despite all the repression that Russia is going through now…thousands and thousands of people gathered to pay tribute and to say goodbye to Navalny and that means that…his hope for a beautiful Russia of the future is not dead. He is, but the hope is not… And that’s why it was sorrowful, as it is inspiring.”
“He is [dead]. But the hope is not.”
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) March 1, 2024
Navalny’s funeral saw mourners braving possible arrest in Moscow today to pay their last respects. @MikhailFishman knew Navalny well and tells @biannagolodryga why, for him, “this is one of the most sorrowful, but also… an inspiring day.” pic.twitter.com/5kb8cj7oAb
