Two weeks since the announcement of Russian political prisoner Alexey Navalny’s sudden death in an Arctic prison, his funeral is being held in Moscow. The ceremony is due to start at 2pm Moscow time (11:00 GMT) at the Mother of God Quench My Sorrows Church in Maryino in the southeast of Moscow.
After the funeral service, Navalny will be buried at the nearby Borisovsky cemetery on the other side of the Moskva river.
There has been a huge police presence around the church since earlier this morning, with barricades and heavy security for anyone daring to attend the funeral to pass through. A large crowd has already gathered around the church.
Novaya Europe journalists are on the scene and we will be giving you regular updates here as they develop.
Alexey Navalny’s body has been interred
Navalny associate Ivan Zhdanov has posted a picture of Navalny’s grave.
“Thank you Moscow, thank you Russia, and thank you people around the world who are thinking of Alexey,” Zhdanov wrote on Telegram, vowing that Navalny’s team would find everyone who played a part in his killing.
Thousands of people lining up to bid farewell to Navalny
Some mourners allowed into the cemetery as large crowds remain outside
People wishing to say goodbye to Alexey Navalny have been allowed into the cemetery, laying flowers near his portrait and tossing soil into his grave. Large crowds have remained outside the gates, however, leaving makeshift tributes to Navalny near the cemetery.
The Borisovsky cemetery officially closes at 5 pm local time, but so far there have been no reports of police closing the gates.
Yulia Navalnaya posts tribute to her late husband
Alexey Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya has posted a tribute to her late husband on social media, thanking Navalny for “26 years of absolute happiness”.
“I don’t know how to live without you, but I’ll try my best to make you happy for me and proud of me up there. I don’t know if I’ll make it or not, but I’ll try,” Navalnaya wrote. “Love you forever. Rest in peace.”
Navalny’s coffin lowered into the ground as crowds gather near the cemetery
Alexey Navalny’s coffin was lowered into the ground as the orchestra played Frank Sinatra’s My Way, one of Navalny’s favourite songs, his ally Leonid Volkov has said during a livestream. As the body was laid to rest, the orchestra also played the score from Terminator 2, Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov has written on Telegram. “Alexey thought Terminator 2 was the best film on earth,” his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh wrote on X.
Meanwhile, crowds are gathering near the cemetery demanding to be let in and say their goodbyes.
Man detained en route to Navalny’s funeral
Police officers have detained a man crossing the Brateyevsky bridge on the way to the cemetery where Navalny’s funeral ceremony is held. This is the first reported arrest during Navalny’s funeral.
The funeral ceremony begins at Borisovsky cemetery
Navalny’s family members are saying goodbye to him at the cemetery as the funeral ceremony commences. After that, Navalny’s body will be lowered into the ground and people will be allowed to come up to it and throw in handfuls of dirt, Ivan Zhdanov has written.
‘Thank you for your son. Forgive us.’ People greet Navalny’s parents as they leave the church
People throwing flowers at Navalny’s hearse as it arrives at the cemetery
The motorcade transporting Navalny’s body has arrived at the Borisovsky cemetery, Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov has written.
The video posted by 7x7 shows people chanting Navalny’s name and throwing flowers at the hearse.
Navalny’s coffin en route to the cemetery
The memorial service for Alexey Navalny has ended. His coffin is now being transported to the Borisovsky cemetery on the other side of the Moskva river.
The first photo from inside the church where the memorial service was held has emerged online.
People chanting ‘We won’t forget’ as thousands gather near the church
The queue of people wishing to say goodbye to Navalny is nearly two kilometres long, Novaya Europe reports from the scene as people are chanting “We won’t forget”, “We won’t forgive” and “Heroes never die”.
Navalny’s coffin taken into the church
People gathered near the church are chanting “Navalny” as Navalny’s coffin is being taken inside.
“He wasn’t scared, and neither are we,” the people are heard chanting.
“We don’t know what’s happening inside the church now and whether the memorial service has begun,” Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov wrote.
Cell service outages have been recorded in the area of Maryino, the Moscow district where the service and the funeral will be held, Mikhail Klimarev, head of Russia’s Internet Protection Society, said, adding that this was done “by order of the Russian government”.
Russian opposition politicians arrive at Navalny’s funeral
Russian opposition politicians, among them Yekaterina Duntsova and Boris Nadezhdin, both barred from running in the upcoming elections due to their anti-war stance, are arriving at Navalny’s funeral.
Navalny’s name will “go down in history”, Duntsova wrote on her Telegram channel.
Nadezhdin called Navalny “a symbol of the era” and expressed hope that “everything will be alright in the end”. “And Russia will become peaceful and free, just as Alexey dreamt of”.
Former mayor of Yekaterinburg Yevgeny Roizman was also seen near the church.
Motorcade transporting Alexey Navalny’s body arriving at the church
The motorcade carrying Navalny’s body is arriving at the church for the memorial service, Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov has reported.
Long queue forms near the church where Navalny’s memorial service will be held
People are queueing up near the church where the memorial service will be held.
The cemetery where Alexey Navalny will be buried has been “closed for visitors”, SOTA reported. Navalny’s burial is planned for 4 pm local time.
Kremlin has ‘nothing to say’ to Navalny’s family
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned of consequences for anyone breaking the law on the day of slain opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s funeral Friday. “We want to remind people of the law, and that it has to be enforced. Any unauthorised gatherings will be illegal, so anyone attending one will be held accountable,” Peskov said.
Asked whether the Kremlin would comment on Navalny’s work, he said, “No, it won’t”. Peskov also said the Kremlin had “nothing to say” to Navalny’s family on the day of his funeral.
Motorcade transporting Navalny’s body en route to the church
Alexey Navalny’s body has been released to his relatives, according to Ivan Zhdanov, the former director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. The motorcade transporting Navalny’s body should arrive at the church around 2 pm local time.
Alexey Navalny’s funeral gets underway amid heavy police presence in Moscow
Large crowds of people gathered outside the church in Moscow’s Maryino district where Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s funeral service is being held on Friday afternoon.
Police officers have also been stationed outside the church, according to Telegram channel SOTAvision. Metal barriers have been erected along the route from the nearest metro station to the church, and others have been reported outside Navalny’s old house in the neighbourhood, according to Mediazona.
