Alexey Navalny was laid to rest in Moscow today, exactly two weeks after his death. Thousands of mourners gathered to pay their respects to the former opposition figure — expressing defiance and calling Navalny a “true hero.” More than 100 people across Russia were detained, according to a human rights monitoring group.
The Kremlin said it had “nothing” to say to Navalny’s family and also warned against unauthorized memorials for him. Russia’s prison service said he died after feeling “unwell after a walk,” while Navalny’s team and family have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for his death.
His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, released a message expressing her love: “I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to make you up there happy for me and proud of me.”
Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a?nerve agent in 2020, has encouraged Russians to “not give up” in the event of his death.
Navalny in CNN documentary: "My message for the situation when I am killed is very simple: not give up"
From CNN's David Rind
In 2022, the CNN Films documentary?“Navalny”?chronicled the aftermath of Alexey Navalny’s poisoning.
In?the film, director Daniel Roher asked Navalny what message he would want to leave for the Russian people if he were to be killed.
“My message for the situation when I am killed is very simple: not give up,” Navalny said in English.
Then, Roher asked him to answer it in Russian.
“I’ve got something very obvious to tell you. You’re not allowed to give up,” Navalny said. “If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong. We need to utilize this power, to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes.
Roher later told CNN’s David Rind on the “Tug of War” podcast?why he asked Navalny to switch languages.
“I thought that the power of that was quite significant and symbolic because he is now in prison in a gulag outside of Moscow,” Roher said. “Let the last word of this would-be president be to his people.”
Watch it here:
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Navalny had long been a thorn in Putin’s side
From CNN's Laura Smith-Spark?and?Zamira Rahim
Alexey Navalny is seen behind the bars of a police van after he was detained during protests in Moscow in 2012.
Sergey Ponomarev/AP
Alexey Navalny, who died aged 47, had long been a thorn in the side of?President Vladimir Putin, exposing corruption in high places, campaigning against the ruling United Russia party, and orchestrating some of the biggest anti-government protests seen in recent years.
His imprisonment in 2021 sparked scores of demonstrations across Russia, leading to thousands of detentions. From prison, Navalny denounced?Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?via social media and encouraged anti-war protests across the country.
The Kremlin critic was?quietly relocated to a penal colony in Siberia?in December, a move that sparked a two-week search by his team who lost contact with him during the unannounced transfer.
The death of?Putin’s most high-profile critic?punctuates a merciless crackdown on dissidence in Russia that has accelerated during its war with Ukraine.
Putin has long refused to utter Navalny’s name. He described the extensive media investigations into the 2020 Novichok poisoning as fabrications by Western intelligence and said in December 2020 that if Russian security services had wanted to kill the activist, they “would have finished” the job.
More than 100 people detained across Russia for paying respects to Navalny, monitoring group says
From CNN's Mariya Knight
At least 115 people have been detained across Russia for paying tribute to late opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Friday, according to monitoring group OVD-Info.
The largest number of people, 16, were detained in the city of Novosibirsk.
At least 10 people have been detained in the capital Moscow, where Navalny was buried, according to OVD-Info. Another 10 were detained in Yekaterinburg, the group said, with 14 held in the Voronezh region.
People were also detained in Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Vladikavkaz, Sochi, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Ulan-Ude, among other cities, according to OVD-Info.
This post has been updated with the latest figures from OVD-Info.
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Navalny's daughter vows to make her father proud
From CNN’s Mariya Knight in Atlanta
Alexey Navalny’s daughter Dasha Navalnaya vowed to make her father proud in an Instagram post on Friday, the day of his funeral.
Navalnaya also said that her father will forever remain “an example” to live by, calling him her “role model” and her “hero.”
Navalny was laid to rest at a Moscow cemetery Friday, exactly two weeks after his death was announced by Russia’s prison service. While his parents were present at the funeral, his widow and children were not.
Many hundreds of mourners have been allowed into the cemetery to pay their respects to the opposition leader.
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Alexey Navalny's funeral and burial has drawn thousands of mourners in Moscow. Catch up here
From CNN staff
Alexey Navalny's open casket lies in front his parents Lyudmila Navalnaya, center, and Anatoly Navalny, center left, during his funeral service at the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' in Moscow on Friday.
Reuters
Thousands of mourners gathered in Moscow for the?funeral?of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny Friday despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention.
The first image released from the funeral service displayed an open casket — showing just his face with his body covered in flowers. His coffin was lowered into a grave to the sound of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”
If you’re just joining us, here’s what else you need to know:
Where it happened: The funeral service was held at the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God “Quench My Sorrows” in Moscow. His burial site is the Borisovsky cemetery in Moscow’s Maryino district, where Navalny lived.
What the Kremlin said: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN on Friday he has “nothing” to say to Navalny’s family; however, he did warn Russians against unauthorized memorials. “Any unauthorized gathering will be in violation of the law. Accordingly, those who will participate in it will bear responsibility under the laws in place,” Peskov told journalists on a regularly scheduled call on Friday.?
Defiant mourners showed up in large numbers: As Navalny’s body arrived at the church, video shared by Navalny’s team showed mourners clapping. Other videos have shown people chanting “Navalny,”“no to war” and “Russia without Putin.” After the funeral ceremony was over, a number of mourners pushed over crowd control barriers in an apparent effort to follow his funeral procession, a video from the church site showed. Finally, as Navalny was laid to rest, several videos showed a large number of people streaming toward the burial site, and a line several hundred meters long formed at the Brateyevsky Bridge. Multiple mourners told CNN they were not afraid of any possible repercussions from the government for their attendance.
Russians pay respects: CNN saw at least some of the many hundreds of mourners who converged at the Borisovsky cemetery allowed into the burial site to pay their respects to Navalny. It was a large but organized affair: A small orchestra near his grave played music as people passed by one by one.
Dozens detained across Russia: At least 45 people have been detained for paying tribute to Navalny on Friday, according to monitoring group OVD-Info.
Broadcast of ceremony likely jammed: The live signal of the CNN team covering the funeral of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny in Moscow appeared to be blocked. Approximately 20 minutes before the funeral is scheduled to begin, no live pictures from the church were available. The feed organized by Navalny’s team was also not showing live coverage of the scene. Then just around the time that the service was over, CNN’s signal was back up. Russian state news agencies and broadcasters gave very limited space to the funeral and burial.
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European leaders honor Navalny as the Russian dissident is laid to rest
From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls in London
Alexey Navalny is seen in Moscow in 2019.
Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
A number of European leaders commemorated Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny with social media tributes on Friday.?
European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed condolences to Navalny’s family and friends in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He said the EU ambassador to Russia is among several European diplomats attending the funeral.?“Navalny’s beliefs will not disappear - ideas cannot be tortured, poisoned or killed. He remains an inspiration for many in Russia and beyond,” he wrote.?
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Minister David Cameron wrote on X: “Putin tried to silence Alexey Navalny. But the world was watching. On the day of his funeral, we remember his spirit of defiance in the face of brutality from the Russian regime, and his courage in standing up to corruption. We must continue to hold Russia to account.”
Poland’s embassy in Russia posted that its ambassador to Russia was one of several to attend the service and also said Russian police were blocking mourners from entering the church. “The police block the entrance to the Orthodox church. Ambassador Krajewski among colleagues from New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Australia. Crowds of people are trying to bid farewell to the opposition leader. R.I.P,” it said. The post was reposted by the Polish foreign ministry.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lauded the thousands of Russian civilians who are honoring Navalny. “Alexey Navalny paid for his fight for democracy and freedom with his life. After his death, courageous Russians are carrying on his legacy: many of them were at the funeral today and took a big risk?-?for?freedom,” Scholz wrote.
The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairssaid that its ambassador attended Navalny’s funeral, writing that the Czech Republic “stands with all Russians who were not afraid to honour the memory of Alexey Navalny. They made it clear that they are not indifferent to the situation in Russia.”
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib posted a video of a large crowd chanting Navalny’s name, alongside the caption “You can’t tame freedom.”
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Navalny spent his life fighting the Kremlin and exposing corruption
From CNN's Laura Smith-Spark?and?Zamira Rahim
Alexei Navalny, center, addresses supporters and journalists in Moscow in 2013.?
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
Alexey Navalny had long been a thorn in the side of?Russian President Vladimir Putin, exposing corruption in high places, campaigning against the ruling United Russia party and orchestrating some of the biggest anti-government protests seen in recent years.
His imprisonment in 2021 sparked scores of demonstrations across Russia, leading to thousands of detentions. From prison, Navalny denounced?Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?via social media and encouraged anti-war protests across the country.
The Kremlin critic was?quietly relocated to a penal colony in Siberia?in December 2023 — a move that sparked a two-week search by his team who lost contact with him during the unannounced transfer.
Navalny was detained and sent to a Russian prison in 2021 after he had returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from Novichok poisoning he blamed on the Russian government. The Kremlin repeatedly denied any involvement.
Putin has long refused to utter Navalny’s name. He described the extensive media investigations into the 2020 Novichok poisoning as fabrications by Western intelligence and said in December 2020 that if Russian security services had wanted to kill the activist, they “would have finished” the job.
Small orchestra played as people passed by Navalny's grave to pay their respects
From CNN's Katharina Krebs and Radina Gigova
Mourners stand outside Borisovsky cemetery in Moscow as Alexey Navalny is laid to rest on Friday.
Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images
A small orchestra near Alexey Navalny’s grave played music as people passed by, one by one, to pay their respects to the late opposition leader.
CNN’s team had to walk through metal detectors placed at the immediate entrance to the cemetery. Authorities were letting people inside the cemetery in small groups. Everyone was asked to keep moving to avoid blocking the route.
As CNN’s team was leaving the site, the line of people who were waiting to enter the cemetery was still massive.?
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Mourners allowed into cemetery to pay respects to Navalny
From CNN's Katharina Krebs in Moscow and Anna Chernova
People pay their last respects as the open casket Alexey Navalny is placed next to the burial site at the Borisovsky cemetery in Moscow on Friday.
AP
At least some of the many hundreds of mourners who have converged at the Borisovsky cemetery have been allowed into the burial site to pay their respects to opposition leader Alexey Navalny, a CNN team in Moscow reported.
A well-organized operation is in place, with separate lines for entry and exit to the burial site, the team reported. Police are?addressing people politely via loudspeaker and instructing them where to walk.
Video released on one X (formerly Twitter) account of Navalny’s supporters shows people filing past his grave and casting handfuls of earth into it.?Some mourners chanted “Thank you for your son” to Lyudmila Navalnaya, Navalny’s mother, who is seen sitting near the grave at the cemetery as people walk through.
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Last photograph of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny: An image that defines the moment
From CNN's Sebastian Shukla
Alexey Navalny's father and mother, left, are joined by others as they pay their last respects during his funeral in Moscow on Friday.
AP
The last image we saw of Alexey Navalny alive was him smiling and joking. The final image before he was laid to rest is more sobering. Conforming with Orthodox tradition, the body of the Russian opposition figure is pictured in an open casket. A man who was once politically and physically energetic and fiery, is now still and at peace.
It is a haunting image, with candles illuminating the scene. Navalny’s face appears almost ghostly white amid the piles of carnations that cover his chest.?His mother and father are seated beside the coffin, clasping each other’s hands, saying goodbye to their son.
It is the culmination of a quest that his mother embarked on 14 days ago when she traveled across Russia’s vast wilderness, above the Arctic Circle and to the Siberian penal colony where Navalny met his end, to badger Russian authorities into allowing her to retrieve the body.
In the casket, Navalny is dressed in a shirt, tie and waistcoat – a change from his prison swatches, and a reminder that he was once a prominent politician.
Gaunt and sunken even before his death, Navalny’s lifeless face represents the energy that was sucked out by the Kremlin and its remote penal colony.
It is a picture that defines the moment – the extinguishing of political opposition in Russia.
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Thousands gather to mourn Alexey Navalny. Here are some photos from the ground
From CNN Digital's Photo Team
Thousands of mourners gathered to pay their respects as the former opposition figure Alexey Navalny was laid to rest in Moscow today, exactly two weeks after his death was announced by Russia’s prison service.
At times, the crowds were heard chanting “we won’t forget,” “no to war” and “Russia without Putin.”
Here are some photos from the day:
Alexey Navalny's parents, third and fourth from right, and mourners attend his funeral service at the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' in Moscow on Friday.
Reuters
People gather outside the church.
AP
Navalny's coffin is carried out of the church after the funeral.
AP
Navalny's parents Lyudmila Navalnaya, left, and Anatoly Navalny walk into the church ahead of the funeral.
AP
People walk towards the Borisovsky cemetery in Moscow after the funeral service.
Reuters
A person holds Navalny's portrait outside the church after the funeral service.
Reuters
Lyudmila Navalnaya and Anatoly Navalny attend the graveside ceremony for their son at the Borisovsky cemetery.
Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images
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Sparse coverage of Navalny funeral on Russian state media
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio and Anna Chernova
Russian state news agencies and broadcasters gave very limited space to the funeral and burial of opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
Despite headlines across the globe, Navalny’s funeral was not featured on state broadcaster Russia 24, while the event was ongoing.
Russia state news agency TASS reported solely on Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov’s warning that “unauthorized gathering will be in violation of the law” – which it listed as the second most read article on its website.
State news agency RIA also reported Peskov’s comments and then marked the moment the opposition leader was laid to rest and the ambassadors attending the event.?
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Yulia Navalnaya thanks husband for "26 years of absolute happiness"
From CNN's Anna Chernova
Yulia Navalnaya is seen in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday.
Johanna Geron/Reuters/FILE
In her first comment on the day of her late husband’s funeral, Yulia Navalnaya has posted a video with the caption:
“I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to make you up there happy for me and proud of me. I don’t know if I can handle this or not, but I will try,” she added.?
Navalny’s family: While the opposition figure’s parents were present at the funeral, Navalnaya was not. She had said ahead of the funeral that she was?concerned?police would crack down on?mourners.
The message, over video of their years together and ending on a photograph of Navalny surrounded by candles, ended with the words: “Love you forever. Rest in peace.”
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First arrest reported at Navalny funeral, according to human rights monitoring group
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
At least one person has been arrested at the funeral for Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, monitoring group OVD-Info reported Friday.
An additional 22 people were detained when they tried to leave their homes to attend the funeral, according to OVD-Info.
CNN could not independently verify that information and Russian authorities did not disclose additional information.
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Alexey Navalny laid to rest at Moscow cemetery
From CNN's Anna Chernova and Tim Lister
Alexey Navalny speaks during an interview in 2018.
Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was laid to rest at a Moscow cemetery Friday, exactly two weeks after his death was announced by Russia’s prison service.
Relatives were gathered around the coffin at the Borisovsky cemetery.
“Lyoha, bye! Sleep well, dear,” someone shouted from the crowd that had converged on the cemetery. Lyoha is a nickname of Navalny’s.
Others in the crowd were chanting: “Let us in to say goodbye!”?
Several videos showed a large number of people streaming towards the burial site. It’s unclear if they will be allowed into the cemetery.
A queue several hundred meters long formed at the Brateyevsky Bridge.
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Navalny's coffin was lowered into the grave to Frank Sinatra's song, "My Way," his team says
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Anna Chernova
Alexey Navalny’s coffin has been lowered into the ground to the sound of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way,’ his team reported during a live transmission of the burial ceremony.
Navalny’s team also said it is struggling with transmission due to communication jamming at the location. CNN has been experiencing similar issues.?
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Navalny's father kissed his forehead before his burial, video shows
From CNN's Tim Lister and Anna Chernova
Video from the Borisovsky cemetery where Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny is being laid to rest showed his father Anatoly leaning forward to kiss the forehead of his son as Navalny’s body lay in an open casket.
The video feed also showed his mother Lyudmila Navalnaya standing by the casket.
Navalny’s face was then covered in preparation for burial.
As solemn music played at the burial site, the chants of the crowd outside the cemetery could be heard.
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Navalny's death has united many Russians, a mourner says
From CNN's Christian Edwards
A woman named Polina speaks with CNN's Matthew Chance.
CNN
A Russian woman named Polina, one of thousands of mourners outside the church where Alexey Navalny’s funeral took place, told CNN that the opposition figure’s death was “horribly sad,” but that it had united many Russians.
Remember: Dissent has been effectively outlawed in Russia since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. Russian authorities outlawed Navalny’s movement as extremist and expressing support for him can be perilous.
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Navalny's coffin arrives at burial site
From CNN's Katharina Krebs in Moscow and Tim Lister
Video from Moscow shows the coffin of Alexey Navalny arriving at the burial plot at Borisovsky cemetery. Applause broke out among mourners who had arrived at the cemetery, as well as chants of “Navalny.”
Social media video also shows a large crowd following the route from the church where the funeral service for Navalny was held to the burial site — some 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) away.
A CNN team on the ground said a substantial crowd was making its way to the cemetery.?
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Navalny team thanks mourners for attending his funeral
From CNN's Anna Chernova
Mourners gather outside the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' ahead of Navalny's funeral service in Moscow on Friday.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
A senior aide to Alexey Navalny has thanked people who came to the Moscow church where his funeral is about to begin.
Harder times and greater struggles lie ahead, she added. “So by no means can we give up. We should keep speaking about it and we should remember it.”
Maria Pevchikh, close aide to Navalny, said the opposition leader will become a giant and a hero for Russia, and added that she hopes his death “will become the starting point for the collapse of the Putin regime.”?She also told the live broadcast that she will “make every effort” and “use all the resources, all the time” she has to uncover how the Russian opposition leader died. His supporters have consistently alleged that he was killed at a penal colony in Siberia two weeks ago.
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CNN spoke to mourners outside a Moscow church. Here's what they said about paying respects to Navalny
From CNN’s Matthew Chance and Katharina Krebs in Moscow and Niamh Kennedy in London
Mourners gathered outside the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God?in Moscow on Friday told CNN they had gathered to pay their respects to their true “hero,” Alexey Navalny.
Here’s what mourners said:
Marina said she traveled from St. Petersburg because she “loved” Navalny.
Tatiana said she had attended several of Navalny’s meetings as a longstanding supporter. The 82-year-old Moscow resident?said it was “natural” for her to come out to pay her respects to Navalny.
Neither woman said?she was?deterred by the potential risk of coming?to the funeral.
Sergey, a 69-year-old man who traveled from outside Moscow to attend the funeral, said it was important for him to pay his respects.
Watch their responses:
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No arrests were reported at Navalny's funeral as procession moves to cemetery
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio and Anna Chernova
The hearse carrying Alexey Navalny's casket is parked outside the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' in Moscow before the funeral service on Friday.
Reuters
No arrests have been reported at the funeral of Alexey Navalny as the procession moved from the church to the Borisovsky cemetery, according to Navalny’s team and human rights?monitoring group OVD-Info.
However, at least 13 people were prevented from leaving their homes to attend the funeral, OVD Info reported, but did not disclose their identity.
CNN could not independently verify that information and Russian authorities did not disclose additional information.
A large security presence has been felt throughout the morning, with police visible on rooftops and metal detectors installed at the entrance to the cemetery.?
Riot police officers guard the area near the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' in Moscow on Friday.
AP
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Navalny's body has arrived at cemetery, his team says
From CNN's Sebastian? Shukla
Alexey Navalny’s body has arrived at the Borisovsky cemetery in Moscow, his team has said.
Video broadcast on Navalny’s YouTube feed also shows the van carrying his body at the cemetery.
The cemetery is around 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the church where the funeral occurred.
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Video from Moscow church shows mourners knocking down barriers to follow Navalny's funeral procession
From CNN's Tim Lister
People knock down barriers while leaving an area outside the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' after the funeral service on Friday.
Reuters
Amid chants of “Navalny,” a number of mourners pushed over crowd control barriers in an apparent effort to follow opposition figure Alexey Navalny’s funeral procession, a video from the church site shows.
The funeral service is over and the procession has left the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Quench My Sorrows.’ It is now on its way to the Borisovsky cemetery.
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Burial ceremony will begin in around an hour, Navalny's team says
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio
People throw flowers towards the hearse carrying Alexey Navalny's casket following the funeral service in Moscow on Friday.
Reuters
Alexey Navalny’s team said his burial ceremony is expected to begin in around an hour at the Borisovsky cemetery in Moscow.
The cemetery is roughly 2.5 kilometers away (1.5 miles away) from the church where the funeral took place. That’s about a 30-minute walk.
People can already be seen arriving at the cemetery and undergoing security checks.
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Funeral held for Alexey Navalny as his team releases image of him lying in a casket
From CNN's Sebastian Shukla
Alexey Navalny's team/YouTube
The funeral of Alexey Navalny has taken place and the first image of his body lying in a casket — just his face with his body covered in flowers — has been posted by Navalny’s team on social media.?
The ceremony for the funeral is over. His body is now being carried out of the church.
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CNN signal at Navalny funeral is back up
From CNN's Lindsay Isaac
CNN now has a signal from outside the church in Moscow where Alexey Navalny’s funeral took place.
Navalny's parents were seen entering church for his funeral
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio
The parents of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny have been spotted entering the church where their son’s funeral is now underway.
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Mourners clapped and chanted “Navalny” as his body arrived at church
From CNN's Sebastian Shukla
Pallbearers carry the coffin of Alexey Navalny into the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' for his funeral service in Moscow on Friday.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
Video shared by Alexey Navalny’s team shows mourners, who have gathered at a Moscow church, clapping as his body arrived at the church.
Here's the location where Alexey Navalny's funeral is taking place
Mourners and foreign diplomats have gathered outside the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Quench My Sorrows,’ where outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s funeral is taking place.
Take a look at where it is located in Moscow:
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US ambassador joins mourners outside the church for Navalny's funeral in Moscow
From CNN photo
Foreign diplomats, including French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Levy and US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy, (third right,) wait near the 'Quench My Sorrows' church before a funeral service for Alexey Navalny in?Moscow, Russia, on March 1.
Reuters
Foreign diplomats, including the French and US ambassadors to Russia, have arrived to pay their respects to Alexey Navalny at the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Quench My Sorrows.’
They were pictured carrying roses.
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CNN signal from Navalny funeral apparently blocked
From CNN's Matthew Chance in Moscow and Tim Lister
People gather outside the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God 'Quench My Sorrows' in Moscow on Friday.
AP
The live signal of the CNN team covering the funeral of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny in Moscow appears to be blocked.
Approximately 20 minutes before the funeral is scheduled to begin, no live pictures from the church are available.
The feed organized by Navalny’s team was also not showing live coverage of the scene.
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Navalny funeral procession arrives at Moscow church
From CNN's Sebastian Shukla
Alexey Navalny’s cortege has arrived at the Church?of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Quench My Sorrows’ in the Maryino district of the Russian capital, a CNN team on the ground has reported.
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Kremlin warns against unauthorized memorials for Navalny
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has warned Russians against unauthorized memorials for former opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
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Kremlin has nothing to say to Navalny’s family on funeral day, spokesperson tells CNN
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
Russian President Vladimir?Putin?delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly, in Moscow, Russia, on February 29.
Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN on Friday he has “nothing” to say to the family of the opposition politician Alexey Navalny on the day of his funeral.??
Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained silence on the death of his main critic over the two weeks that have passed since the tragic news, a trend consistent with his avoidance of mentioning Navalny by name during the politician’s lifetime.?
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Navalny’s body has been handed over to family, spokesperson says
From CNN's Seb Shukla
Alexey Navalny’s body has been handed over to his relatives, according to his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh.?
A hearse will soon be heading over to the church, Yarmysh said in a social media post.
It had initially been reported that his team had been unable to secure a hearse for transporting Navalny’s body.?
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Crowd gathers at church in Moscow where funeral of Alexey?Navalny?is due to take place
From CNN's Matthew Chance and Katharina Krebs in Moscow
People gather outside the Soothe My Sorrows church as they wait for a funeral service and a farewell ceremony for Russian politician Alexey Navalny in?Moscow, Russia, on March .
Reuters
There is a growing crowd of mourners gathering at the Moscow church where the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny is due to take place Friday – in about one hour, a CNN team on the ground reports.
Here’s what else the team is seeing:
People, many holding flowers, are standing behind crowd control barriers and the queue continues to grow. A number of police are stationed at the entrance to the church, where a metal detector has been installed.?
Crowd control barriers have been erected along the route to the cemetery. There are dozens of police vans around the Borisovsky cemetery, where?Navalny?will be buried after the funeral service at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Quench My Sorrows’ in the Maryino district.
Video also shows police asking people through loud-hailers not to block traffic in the area.
Some toilet facilities have also been set up outside the barriers.?
Meanwhile, social media video and photographs show police close to the church and around the nearby Maryino metro station.
The funeral is due to begin at 6 a.m. ET.?The cemetery is some 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) from the church.
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Police deployed on rooftops near?Navalny?funeral church
From CNN's Tim Lister
A Police officer guards on a roof of an apartment building near the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows, in Moscow, Russia, on March 1.
AP
Police officers have been deployed on rooftops near the Church of Mother of God in Moscow, where the funeral for former Russian opposition leader Alexey?Navalny?will take place, video from the scene showed.
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Alexey Navalny's funeral to be held in Moscow today
From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Radina Gigova
Mourners gather in front of the Mother of God Quench My Sorrows church ahead of a funeral service for Alexey Navalny, in Moscow, Russia, on March 1.
Andrey Borodulin/AFP/Getty Images
Kira Yarmysh, Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny’s spokesperson, confirmed Wednesday that his funeral will be held Friday at a church in Moscow.
Yarmysh said the service will take place at 2 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God and encouraged mourners to arrive early.
The burial of Navalny will take place at Borisov Cemetery in Moscow’s Maryino district, where Navalny lived.
Nalavny’s aides said they began to look for a church soon after his death but that many venues were not willing to host his funeral.
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No hearse will take?Navalny’s body to church for funeral, his spokesperson says
From CNN’s Sahar Akbarzai
No hearse has agreed to take Alexey?Navalny’s body to the church for a planned funeral for the Russian opposition leader, according to?his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh.
“All brigades are called by unknown people and threatened not to take Alexey’s body anywhere,” Yarmysh said Thursday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
At first,?Navalny’s team were not allowed to rent funeral halls, she said.
When searching for a venue for a funeral, most agencies and sites contacted have either claimed the space is occupied or refused them as soon as?Navalny’s name was mentioned — in one instance citing a direct prohibition on working with?Navalny’s team, Yarmysh said on Tuesday.
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Navalny's widow says she is concerned about possible arrests at funeral
From CNN's Christian Edwards,?Radina Gigova?and?Anna Chernova
Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, addresses the European Union's parliament on Wednesday February 28, in Strasbourg, France.
Jean-Francois Badias/AP
The wife of the late Kremlin critic?Alexey Navalny?said she is concerned that police will crack down on mourners after it was announced his funeral will take place on Friday in Moscow.
Yulia Navalnaya?on Wednesday addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, shortly after Navalny’s aides announced they had arranged his funeral after spending more than a week trying to?retrieve his body?and find a suitable venue.
Navalny’s death was met with grief and anger across the world as well as inside Russia, where the smallest acts of political dissent carry huge risks. More than 400 people were?detained?at makeshift memorials for Navalny across 32 Russian cities, according to human rights monitoring group OVD-Info.