Navalny’s Funeral Set For Friday In Moscow

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s funeral is planned for Friday in a Moscow church, his allies said two weeks after his shock death in an Arctic prison.

Authorities resisted handing Navalny’s body to his family for eight days, in what his team said was an attempt to “cover” up who was responsible for his death and prevent a public burial.

His widow Yulia Navalnaya said she feared her husband’s funeral could be disrupted by arrests.

The burial is set to take place at the nearby Borisov cemetery, a short walk from the banks of the river Moskva.

Finding a church willing to host the service was difficult, his team said, as the Kremlin was afraid a public funeral could turn into a show of support for Navalny’s movement.

Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said they began looking for a funeral location this week, a few days after his body was finally handed to his mother Lyudmila Navalnaya.

Russian authorities said Navalny died of “natural causes” after he lost consciousness following a walk in his prison colony, nicknamed “Polar Wolf”.