Thousands of Russians chanted the name of Oleksiy Navalny and declared that they would not forgive the authorities for his death, but the opposition was buried on Friday in Moscow, reports Reuters. 91 people were detained in 12 cities, including Moscow. During the funeral, some had the courage to chant “Russia will be free”, “No war”, “Russia without Putin”, “We will not forgive” and “Putin is a criminal”.

At a cemetery not far from where Navalny once lived, his mother Lyudmila and father Anatoly bent over his open casket to kiss him one last time as a small group of musicians sang.

After making the sign of the cross, those present came forward to caress her face before the priest carefully covered her with a white shroud and the coffin was closed, News.ro reported.

Navalny, the fiercest critic of President Vladimir Putin in Russia, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic correctional facility on February 16, prompting accusations from his supporters that he had been murdered. The Kremlin denies any state involvement in his death.

Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said he had nothing to say to Navalny’s family.

Navalny’s top advisers, who are outside Russia, tried to contain their emotions by broadcasting live video footage of their leader’s split.

“This is an image that is very difficult to look at,” said one of them, Ruslan Saveddinov, referring to the image of Navalny’s mother Lyudmila in the church of the icon of the Mother of God, next to her son’s open coffin. They.

Reuters reports that several thousand people came to pay their respects at a cemetery and in front of a church in southeast Moscow. In the large crowd, many people carried bouquets of flowers, and some dared to chant “Russia will be free”, “No war”, “Russia without Putin”, “We will not forgive” and “Putin is a criminal”. Although the police were present in large numbers, they did not intervene.

One of the biggest demonstrations of dissent in recent years

Police were present in large numbers at what turned out to be one of the largest demonstrations of anti-Kremlin dissent in recent years, but mostly did not intervene.

The human rights group “OVD-Info” reported that 91 people were detained in 12 cities, including Moscow.

“There are over 10,000 people here and no one is afraid,” said a young woman, Camila, from the crowd. “I came here to honor the memory of a man who wasn’t even afraid, who wasn’t afraid of anything.”

25-year-old Kyrylo said: “It is very sad for the future of Russia… We will not give up, we will believe in something better.”

According to Reuters, state media covered very little of the funeral. The RIA news agency reported on Navalny’s funeral, noting the presence of foreign representatives, including the US, French and German ambassadors, and recalling that he had been jailed on a number of charges, including fraud, contempt of court and extremism.

Navalny has denied all these allegations, saying they were fabricated by the authorities to silence his criticism of Vladimir Putin.

Navalny’s death is bitter, but he does not know what to do

Public demonstrations in Russia are risky and rare, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation.” More than 20,000 people have been detained over the past two years.

Despite the large turnout at Friday’s funeral and sparks of defiance, Navalny’s death puts Russia’s fractured opposition in an even more precarious position as Putin prepares to run for a new six-year term in elections this month. All of the president’s main critics are behind bars or have fled the country.

Even in prison, Navalny encouraged supporters with a display of resilience and humor in his frequent court hearings and social media posts. His death will leave many feeling lonely.

“I want to do what Navalny told us and not give up, but I don’t know what to do now,” said a young man in the crowd.

At the memorial site, more than 140,000 people lit “virtual candles” for Navalny. It is not known how many there are in Russia.

More than a quarter of a million people watched the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on his YouTube channel, which is blocked in Russia. Messages, most expressing sadness but some also challenging, continued to flow alongside the images, Reuters reported.

Navalny’s allies outside Russia asked people who wish to honor his memory but were unable to attend the memorial service to instead go to monuments to Soviet-era repression in their cities on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. local time.

The Kremlin said that any unauthorized gatherings in support of Navalny would be a violation of the law, and those who participated in them would be held accountable.

A mother’s struggle

Navalny’s mother, 69-year-old Lyudmila, was sent to the “Polar Wolf” colony after Oleksiy’s death and spent a week fighting the authorities to give her his lifeless body. She accused them of pressuring her to bury him without a public funeral, which the Kremlin denied.

The service was brief and held at a church where worshipers raised funds to buy drones and other equipment to support Russian soldiers in the war in Ukraine, which Navalny condemned as an act of madness on Putin’s part.

Inside, Lyudmila was photographed sitting with a candle, while priests in white robes stood over her son’s coffin.

Navalny’s wife, Yulia, and their two children, who live outside of Russia, did not attend the funeral. Yulia Navalna, who promised to continue her husband’s cause, thanked him for “26 years of absolute happiness” in a message published on X. “I don’t know how to live without you, but I will do everything possible to reconcile you.” be happy for me and be proud of me. I don’t know if I will succeed or not, but I will try,” she wrote.

Navalny Dash’s daughter also published an emotional farewell on X, in which she said that her father gave his life for his family and Russia. “You have always been and will be an example for me. My hero. My father,” she wrote.