Funeral homes in Moscow have been warned against organising Alexey Navalny’s funeral, according to the late politician’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh on Tuesday.
Yarmysh said that she had been informed about the effective ban by one of the mortuaries she contacted.
Several other funeral agencies had told her that their premises were fully booked, Yarmysh said, adding that some had simply ended the call after hearing Navalny’s name.
“Since yesterday we have been looking for a place where we can organise a farewell event for Alexey. We have called most of the private and public funeral agencies, commercial venues and funeral halls,” Yarmysh wrote. “After a day of searching, we still haven’t found the farewell hall.”
According to Kremlin sources who spoke to independent news outlet Verstka, the ideal day for Navalny’s funeral would be Friday, as on Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to make his annual address to the Federal Assembly.
“Nothing should now distract from the president’s message, which is essentially his programme. In this sense, 1 March is the ideal date,” the source told Verstka.
Team Navalny had been hoping to hold the funeral at the end of the week. However, pro-government Telegram channels have been spreading unfounded rumours claiming that Navalny’s funeral would be held on Thursday at Moscow’s Borisovsky Cemetery.
