Alexey Navalny’s Funeral Raises Concerns of Crackdown on Mourners
The wife of the late Kremlin critic, Alexey Navalny, expressed her concerns about potential police crackdowns on mourners as it was announced that his funeral would take place on Friday in Moscow. Yulia Navalnaya addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, shortly after Navalny’s aides announced the funeral arrangements. She spoke about the challenges they faced in retrieving his body and finding a suitable venue for the funeral.
Yulia Navalnaya expressed uncertainty about whether the funeral would be peaceful or if the police would arrest those who came to say goodbye to her husband. The death of Alexey Navalny has sparked grief and anger not only in Russia but also across the world. In Russia, even the smallest acts of political dissent carry significant risks. According to the human rights monitoring group OVD-Info, more than 400 people were detained at makeshift memorials for Navalny in 32 Russian cities.
Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed that the funeral would be held at Borisov Cemetery in Moscow’s Maryino district, where Navalny lived. The service was scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. local time in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God. Yarmysh encouraged mourners to arrive early. However, finding a church willing to host the funeral proved to be a challenge for Navalny’s aides. Many venues refused to provide a location, citing bans or other reasons. Ivan Zdhanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, expressed their determination to bury Alexey regardless of the difficulties they faced.
With Navalny’s wife and team in exile, his mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, embarked on a solitary mission in Siberia to retrieve her son’s body from Russian authorities. She accused them of “blackmailing” her by threatening to bury her son without a funeral unless she agreed to certain conditions. The Kremlin denied these allegations.
During her address to the European Parliament, Yulia Navalnaya emphasized the need to combat Russian President Vladimir Putin with renewed vigor and learn from the innovative methods employed by her husband. She highlighted that traditional approaches such as weapons, money, and sanctions have not been effective in countering Putin’s regime. Navalnaya urged European politicians to target Putin’s “friends, associates, and the keepers of mafia money” and fight against criminal gangs. She called for investigations into financial machinations and the search for mafia associates who help Putin and his friends hide money.
Navalnaya’s comments coincide with ongoing debates among Western officials about diverting frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine’s war-torn economy. She lamented that her husband would never witness the beautiful Russia he had envisioned but vowed to make his dream come true. She expressed hope that evil would fall, paving the way for a brighter future.
The funeral of Alexey Navalny serves as a somber reminder of the risks faced by political dissenters in Russia. As mourners gather to bid farewell to a courageous figure, concerns about potential crackdowns loom large. The world watches as Yulia Navalnaya calls for innovative approaches to challenge Putin’s regime and bring about a better future for Russia.