Thousands Of People Come To Bid Farewell To Alexei Navalny In Moscow

(Updated) The funeral of the politician has grown into a large-scale demonstration.

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny died on February 16 in correctional colony #3 in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The politician’s body was given to his mother Lyudmila only nine days later. On February 28, it became known that Navalny’s funeral service would take place in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Quench My Sorrows” in Maryino, and the funeral would take place at the Borisov Cemetery.

Thousands of people in Moscow came to say goodbye to the politician. The funeral service took place at 14:00 Minsk time. Thousands of Russians first came to the temple, and then proceeded to the Borisov cemetery. However, security forces began letting people into the cemetery ten minutes before it closed. Not everyone who wanted to was able to say goodbye to Navalny.

Charter97.org provided live coverage of Alexei Navalny’s funeral.

17:08 Not everyone who wanted to was able to say goodbye to Navalny. The security forces deliberately started letting people in only 10 minutes before the cemetery closed. People who were unable to attend the farewell party created a memorial of flowers near the cemetery.

16:57

Some people managed to go to the cemetery to say goodbye to Navalny. Russians began to be allowed to the politician’s grave 10 minutes before the cemetery closed.

16:51

This is what a column looks like as it heads to the cemetery, where they say goodbye to Navalny.

16:49

This is what farewell to Navalny looked like at Borisov Cemetery.

16:47

It is reported that people have begun to be allowed into the cemetery. However, it will close at

16:46

“What is happening here should once again prove to all people who do not understand the importance of kind, conscientious, honest people for the country, how they need to be appreciated, how we should do everything so that these people bring us to a happy Russia of the future,” people who flew from other cities to say goodbye to Alexei Navalny.

16:31 The Russians continue to walk towards the Borisov cemetery. However, there are jammers working near it. No footage from the cemetery yet. It is unknown whether people are being allowed in to say goodbye to Navalny.

16:30 Cars with diplomatic license plates appeared near the cemetery: representatives of the United States, France, and Germany were saying goodbye to Navalny. Russian officials have ignored the funeral.

16:18

The widow of Alexei Navalny, Yulia, has published a post on Instagram, where she thanked her late husband for his support, love and happiness.

16:13

Now they are saying goodbye to the politician to the final theme from “The Terminator” — this was Navalny’s favorite film.

16:03

The coffin with Alexei Navalny is lowered into the grave. The orchestra plays “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.

16:01

Human rights activists report the first arrest at the funeral procession. The police detained one participant.

15.56

Navalny's parents bid farewell to him at the cemetery.

15.42

The musicians who will participate in Navalny’s burial ceremony have entered the territory of the Borisov cemetery.

15.39

People walking towards the Borisov cemetery are chanting “No to war!” and “Freedom for political prisoners!”

15.38

“Please let me say goodbye! Well, please, don’t close the coffin! This is our dear person! Please let people say goodbye! They only gave me 5 minutes... Sorry, Alexei...,” — a video from the Moscow church “Quench My Sorrows”, where the funeral service was held for Alexei Navalny.

Judging by the footage of RusNews journalists, the coffin was closed in front of the people saying goodbye and they began to push them out.

15.33

People are chanting “Russia without Putin!” on the way from the temple to the Borisov cemetery.

15.30

Lyudmila Navalnaya, leaving the funeral ceremony, was surrounded by those who came to say goodbye to the oppositionist. People thanked the politician's mother for her son, wished her patience and asking for forgiveness.

15.29

Thousands of people go to the Borisov cemetery: the procession stretches for kilometers.

15.37

“Russia will be happy!” people walking towards the Borisov cemetery are chanting.

15.36

The body of Alexei Navalny has been brought to the Borisov cemetery, where the burial ceremony will take place.

A column of people wishing to say goodbye moved from the church to the cemetery — about 30 minutes between them. People chant “Navalny!”

15.20

The police blocked the hearse with Navalny's body near the cemetery. People shower it with flowers.

15.13

Thousands of people in Moscow chant “Putin is a murderer!”

15.08

People have broken through the fences set up by the police and are following Navalny's hearse to the Borisov cemetery.

15.00

The car with Navalny's coffin is showered with flowers. People shout “Thank you, Alexei!”

14.59

Video fact: Lyudmila Navalnaya is bidding farewell to her son.

14.58

People in a huge line are chanting “Russia will be free!”

14.56

The moment when Navalny’s coffin is taken out of the church: the bells are ringing in the church.

14.54

The coffin with the body of Alexei Navalny is taken out of the temple.

The funeral service is over. When the coffin was carried out, people began shouting “Navalny!”

“The funeral service went very quickly. Alexei will now be taken to the cemetery. It makes sense to go there now,” wrote Navalny’s ally Ivan Zhdanov.

14.53

There is not enough room for everyone who wants to say goodbye to Alexei. People gathered not only at the church and in line for several kilometers, but also in the neighboring yard.

14.51

The first photo of Alexei Navalny during the farewell ceremony has been published.

14.42

Alexei Navalny's parents Anatoly and Lyudmila came to the Quench My Sorrows church.

14.36

The line of people wishing to say goodbye to Alexei Navalny has already stretched for two kilometers.

14.34

People in line outside the church are singing a requiem.

14.21

The coffin with Navalny's body is in the temple. There the politician is seen off on his last journey by Roizman, Nadezhdin and Duntsova. In addition, the ceremony will be attended by the German and French ambassadors, as well as the US ambassador.

14.14

A crowd of thousands gathered around the church chanting “Navalny!”, “Navalny!”, “Navalny!”

People are applauding and crying. Those who came to say goodbye to the politician began to be allowed into the church for the funeral service.

14.12

At the moment when Navalny’s body was brought into the temple, all live broadcasts of SkyNews, CNBC-TV18, “Team Navalny” and others were cut off. There are no mentions or reports on Navalny’s funeral on Russian TV.

14.06

People began to be allowed into the temple to bid farewell to Navalny.

“You were not afraid, and we are not afraid,” people are chanting near the temple, where the funeral service for the politician begins.

13.59

People at the temple are chanting “Navalny!”

13.56

The coffin with the body of Alexei Navalny is brought into the temple.

13.46

The motorcade with Navalny’s body approaches the Quench My Sorrows temple.

13.45

American diplomats, as well as Yulia Galyamina, Nikolai Lyaskin, Konstantin Yankauskas, and representatives of the Yabloko party from other cities, came to bid farewell to Navalny.

13.42

Russian politicians Yevgeny Roizman and Boris Nadezhdin came to say goodbye to Navalny.

13.40

There is a huge queue at the temple. It stretches 700 meters in length. New people keep coming.

13.35

The hearse with Navalny's body is moving towards the church. The politician’s body was released to relatives with a delay of an hour and a half.

13.30

Thousands of people gathered at the Quench My Sorrows Church in Moscow, where the funeral service for Alexei Navalny will begin at 14:00.