Thousands of people attend the funeral of Russian opponent Alexei Navalni, attended by a large police deployment | International

The funeral in Moscow of the Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, who died on February 16 at the age of 47 in a prison in the Arctic Circle, became this Friday a massive demonstration of sadness and rejection against the Kremlin despite the strict control of the forces of security forces. The authorities wanted a secret funeral and threatened the dissident’s mother, Liudmila Navalnaya, to bury him in the prison courtyard if she did not agree. The body was delivered to him only eight days after a still unclear death – the official certificate speaks of “natural death” -. Thousands of people defied these strict controls by going to the Utolí Mayá Pechali (Turn Off My Sorrows, in Russian) church in the Marino district in south-eastern Moscow and queuing to attend the ceremony, despite fears that they might occur. arrests. occur.

The event was closely monitored by police, with riot officers also patrolling three subway stops from the scene. Once there, access to the church was fenced off with several rows of fences and metal controls, in addition to the deployment of dozens of agents from the Ministry of the Interior and the National Guard, as well as other members of the security services infiltrated among the people . participants. . Although the ceremony took place without incident, around a hundred arrests were recorded across the country.

“Absolute lack of respect”

Dozens of people were able to enter the church. Liudmila Navalnaya, 69, remained seated with a candle in her hand and her gaze fixed on the face of her son in the open coffin. Only she and some other relatives were able to get close to the coffin. The authorities did not allow anyone else to do so. As soon as the mother said goodbye to her son, several workers took away the coffin amid shouts of indignation from those present. “This is Satanism, it’s immoral, in our culture it’s an absolute lack of respect towards the dead,” one woman shouted.

Outside the church Maxim, a 37-year-old man who came with two other friends to greet the dissident, complained during the hours of waiting: “There is no hope, it is impossible for there to be opposition in Russia. “Navalny is dead and his colleagues are detained,” added the Muscovite, taken by surprise by the dissident’s sudden death in a remote Arctic prison. “But it was still predictable,” he considered.

The three friends were sparing in recalling how they received the news of Navalni’s death on February 16. “Terrible,” said Maxim. “Very sad,” Igor said for his part. “Speechless,” Denis, 37, finally said. They had already witnessed spontaneous tributes in which Russians laid flowers in Navalny’s honor on monuments to victims of political repression after his death was made public.

“We are afraid of being arrested, obviously,” Denis said. “Look at all the policemen,” he observed before recounting the tension experienced in the previous tributes. “Nothing happened to me, but a girl who was in line was arrested. And I hadn’t done anything,” she recalled.

Last Wednesday the dissident’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, warned that Russian authorities could attack participants at the ceremony. During a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in which she was visibly moved, she warned: “I’m not sure if they will let everything be peaceful or if the police will arrest those who say goodbye to my husband. ” Navalnaya, who is outside Russia, like her two children, greeted her husband on the social network Happiness. Yes, the last three years have also been happy. For love, for always supporting me, for making me laugh even from prison , for the fact that you always thought of me.”

A volunteer from Navalny’s team, Nadezhda, showed up at the church doors with a huge bouquet of flowers. “I will leave Russia in the next semester. After the elections it will be worse [este mes se celebran presidenciales]. There is no hope,” she said in a whisper. “I had known Alexei and Yulia, his wife, for many years. Her death was a shock”said Nadezhda with tears in her eyes.

The desolation was visible in the activist’s words. “Alexei tried to change things in Russia by following the law, peacefully. “I don’t want to say it, no… It terrifies me to think about it, but I only see that a change within the country can also be possible through weapons.” “These bandits give no other choice, they do not allow peaceful opposition,” the volunteer said.

Navalny’s entourage accused President Vladimir Putin of being behind the death of the dissident, who survived several attacks, such as a poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok in 2020 (attributed to Russian secret services) that left him at death’s door. . After recovering in Germany, he decided to return to Russia despite the risk of being imprisoned, as he happened. Navalny was serving a thirty-year sentence after being accused of “supporting extremism”. The organization he runs, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, has been declared a “foreign agent”.

The dissident circle also claimed that the Kremlin had negotiated to exchange him for a Russian espionage hitman imprisoned in Germany. The Kremlin has denied state involvement in his death and said it was not aware of any deal to release Navalny.

Yelena, 53, holding four roses – an even number of flowers is traditional at Russian funerals – said as the funeral approached: “We always had the feeling that Navalny could be saved. The Anti-Corruption Foundation team was doing everything they could and we thought they could exchange him. “The Kremlin killed him with its own hands,” she said. “I don’t know if he killed him slowly or directly, but [el Kremlin] “He is responsible,” he said.

Yelena came from “a day and a half trip” to Moscow from her small town in the Urals region to greet Navalny. Accompanying her was Victoria, 52 years old. “One day there will be a great uprising and a better and exciting future will come, but now there is only darkness, repression, terror. “It’s very difficult, morally,” said Victoria, also from outside Moscow. “Many people didn’t come out of fear,” Yelena said. “And people didn’t know that the funeral was going to take place today in this church.”

After the ceremony took place according to the Orthodox rite, the coffin was loaded onto a van and taken to the Borisov cemetery, in the same neighborhood of Marino where the activist lived before being poisoned with Novichok. The dozens of people who were able to access the church were joined by thousands of other followers who waited outside to travel the kilometer that separates the church from the cemetery. At the funeral they could be heard in the background My wayby Frank Sinatra, and the soundtrack to Terminator 2. Until late at night, very long lines continued along the cemetery up to Navalni’s grave.

Among the approximately one hundred detainees in 19 cities across the country, two opposition politicians were arrested separately in the capital’s subway as they left the funeral. Mikhail Shneider, former vice-president of the PARNAS party, liquidated last year by the Kremlin; and Andréi Morev, vice president of the Moscow branch of Yábloko, a group still active in the country. Both reported their arrest, but did not specify the reasons.

Navalny had condemned Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine as a foolish undertaking built on lies. The church that hosted his funeral made donations to the Russian army and enthusiastically announced his support for the war, according to Reuters. A paradoxical situation in the face of the immense pacifist majority who came this Friday to greet Navalni. “All we have left is applause,” sighed a woman when the dissident’s coffin received an ovation from her followers, now orphans of a Russian leader.

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