The Russians say goodbye this Friday to the deceased opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, amid strict security measures arranged by the Moscow authorities.
Navalny’s supporters have warned on social media that the police could hinder access to the church, where the funeral ceremony will begin at 2:00 p.m. local time (11:00 GMT).
Since Thursday, both in the church where the funeral chapel is installed and in the cemetery where the politician will be buried, a large police force and metal fences have been deployed.
Multiple surveillance cameras and other devices that can serve as internet and mobile phone signal inhibitors have also been placed on the cemetery lampposts.
Navalni’s team plans to broadcast the opposition leader’s funeral live on its YouTube page starting at 09:00 GMT.
Borisovo, a discreet and ancient cemetery
The Borisovo cemetery, where Navalny will be buried at 4:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT), covers an area of 4 hectares and is one of the oldest cemeteries in Moscow, with a history dating back to 1550.
The cemetery does not house many personalities. Among the best-known tombs are those of the Soviet artist Yuri Sherstnev or the scientist Guennadi Arakelov.
The Troyekurovskoye cemetery, in the west of Moscow, was another of the places that was considered in the press to house Navalny’s body.
Numerous Russian personalities, including military personnel, artists, cosmonauts and politicians, are buried there, including the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, murdered in 2015.
Obstacles from authorities
Navalni’s family denounced for nine days the authorities’ refusal to hand over the body to them after his death.
But the difficulties did not end when the opponent’s mother was finally able to collect the body of her son, whose death Navalny’s relatives directly blame the Kremlin.
For a few days now, the opposition’s team has been reporting obstacles in organizing the funeral.
First, all funeral agencies refused to take care of the funerals. Then the politician’s co-religionists could not agree on the date of the funeral, because “there was not a single person available to dig a grave” on February 29, a date chosen by the family that coincided with the state of the nation speech he gave. Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, Navalni’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmish, revealed that there are now obstacles to transferring the politician’s body to the church.
“They call the brigades (of the funeral homes) strangers and threaten them so that they do not take Alexei’s body anywhere,” Yarmish wrote in X.
Global Farewell
For all the people who cannot say goodbye to Navalni in person, his allies will organize a live broadcast of the funeral events, which will begin at 12:00 (09:00 GMT).
In addition, the opponent’s team published a list of cities around the world where ceremonies in memory of Navalni will be held today.
“We call on you to place flowers at memorials (to Navalni) around the world,” says a message from the politician’s team, accompanied by the list of cities that will participate in the farewell and which includes Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and others. cities.
Prohibited brand
Meanwhile, the Moscow authorities yesterday denied permission to hold a march in memory of Navalni and Boris Nemtsov, murdered a few meters from the Kremlin in 2015, scheduled for March 2, the organizers of the event reported.
According to Yekaterina Duntsova, a candidate for the Russian Presidency vetoed by the Electoral Commission, the authorities argued the coronavirus epidemic to justify the ban.
Duntsova ironically said that this epidemic does not usually affect those who attend massive events organized by the Government.
Simultaneously, warnings from some universities were spread on Russian social networks to their students not to attend demonstrations related to Navalni under threat of expulsion.
BY: TTU
