Funeral shaky

Navalny’s body has been handed over to his mother

There are expressions of grief for the deceased Navalny around the world.(Bild: AFP)

According to supporters, Alexei Navalny's body has been handed over to his mother. A public funeral is to take place in Moscow. However, it is unclear whether the Kremlin will allow this - hundreds of mourners have already been arrested across the country since the death of the Putin opponent.

Civil rights activists reported numerous arrests at the events throughout Russia on Saturday alone. The independent portal ovd.info listed 32 arrests in nine cities in the afternoon. Protests were held on various topics, it said.

Queues for Navalny
There were 27 arrests alone when people laid flowers in memory of Navalny, who died in a prison camp on February 16. People waited in line at the Cathedral of the Savior in Moscow, the main Russian Orthodox church, to then commemorate the 47-year-old inside on the ninth day after Navalny's death.

Mourners in Berlin(Bild: AP)

Wreaths were also laid in Zagreb.(Bild: AFP)

In Russia, mourners risk arrest by the authorities.(Bild: AP)

Hundreds of people have already been arrested in Russia since Navalny's death.(Bild: AP)

Candles were also lit for the Putin opponent in Kosovo.(Bild: AFP)

People in other churches in the country also paid their last respects to Navalny following a public appeal on social networks. Navalny's family had previously called on the authorities to release Alexei Navalny's body for a humane burial. The request has now been granted, Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh announced on the X platform. 

Yarmysh said that the funeral should now be prepared. "We don't know whether the authorities will let it happen the way the family wants and the way Alexei deserves," said the spokeswoman. Lyudmila Navalnaya had called for a public funeral so that not only the family but also supporters could say goodbye to the Russian opposition leader. "We will announce information on this when it comes in," said Yarmysh. It had previously been reported that Navalny's mother was seeking a burial at the Khovanskoye cemetery, the largest of more than 100 resting places in the Russian capital.

Navalny's widow Julia and his daughter Darya had previously appealed to the Kremlin in videos to hand over the opposition leader's body. "Give us back the body of my husband. We want to hold a funeral service and bury him in the ground in a humane way, as is customary in Orthodox Christianity," said Yulia Navalnaya in a six-minute YouTube video on Saturday.

Serious accusations against Putin
She also made serious accusations against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, who has also been blamed for Navalny's death by numerous Western politicians. Putin was personally responsible for the whereabouts of the body, Navalnaya said.

He tortured Navalny in death as he had done in life. "No true Christian could ever do what Putin is now doing with Alexei's body." Her husband, on the other hand, was a devout Christian who went to church and observed Lent even in prison. Navalny's political commitment was inspired by Christian values.