The late opposition figure Alexei Navalny will be remembered at a public funeral service this Friday afternoon, as announced by his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh on social media platforms on Wednesday.
The service is set to be held in a Russian Orthodox church located in the Maryino district of southeastern Moscow, an area where Navalny resided with his family prior to his poisoning in 2020 and subsequent arrest upon his return to Russia in the following year.
"Arrive early. The interment will take place at Borisov cemetery," Yarmysh advised on X (previously known as Twitter), indicating the cemetery within the same district.
Earlier in the week, Navalny’s close associates revealed plans for a public commemoration following the release of his body to his mother by Russian investigators, over a week after his demise in an Arctic penal colony.
The team behind the late activist has voiced concerns that authorities are attempting to obstruct a public funeral, fearing it could manifest as a significant display of solidarity for Navalny’s cause and his critique of President Vladimir Putin.
Ivan Zhdanov, a leading figure within Navalny’s circle, noted that the ceremony was initially intended for Thursday. However, he reported that all funeral homes in Moscow declined their request, coinciding with Putin’s planned speech to the Russian parliament on the same day.
Zhdanov further alleged that official interference prevented Navalny’s family from securing a larger venue for the memorial service, expressing frustration over the treatment of Navalny even in death.
“The devils persist in their degradation of Alexei, even posthumously,” he expressed on social media platforms.
