“Thank you, Aleksei.” Thousands line the streets for Navalny’s funeral in Moscow.

Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny was buried today at the Moscow Borisovskoye cemetery in the Maryino district.

Despite very heavy police presence and the fact that anything associated with Navalny is banned as “extremist” by Russian law, thousands of people gathered today to pay their last respects to the Kremlin critic, who died in the Russian prison on February 16, 2024. 

When Navalny’s body was carried out from a hearse into the local church for a funeral service, thousands of his supporters clapped their hands and shouted “Navalny! Navalny!”.

As people stood in lines and watched the coffin being lowered, they chanted:

“Putin is a murderer”, “We will not forgive for that”, “No to war”, “We are not afraid”

«Путин — убийца!» pic.twitter.com/apma2BiTsp

— Команда Навального (@teamnavalny) March 1, 2024

Based on the feedback of those present at the funeral, the mobile connection was not stable. Despite technical difficulties, multiple videos of the funeral could be seen online. Navalny’s team managed to livestream the funeral on YouTube. During the broadcast, a journalist asks a woman: “Why is it important for you to be here today?”

“Aleksei Navalny means a lot to me, - she answers - He fought for our rights, for the rights of the Russian people. He wanted us to live in a better country. In a country without corruption, without police violence.”

The funeral was also attended by Western diplomats, including the Norwegian Ambassador to Russia Robert Kvile.

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Such a big public gathering with a strong anti-government message is unprecedented for Moscow. The last big gathering was on the streets of the capital two years ago to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since then multiple draconian laws and measures have been introduced to crack down on any dissent. The death of Aleksei Navalny shocked thousands in Russia. People from all over the country decided to attend the funeral personally to pay Aleksei Navalny the last respects despite huge risks.