Alexey Navalny’s funeral will take place in Moscow on Friday

The funeral and funeral of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny will take place in Moscow on Friday, his spokesman said, but his allies accused the Kremlin of thwarting their attempts to hold a major event a day earlier.

His spokesperson Kira Yarmysh posted on Twitter that a service for Navalny would be held on Friday at 2 p.m. Moscow time (6 a.m. ET) at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in the Moscow district of Maryino, where Navalny died. Used to do. stay.

Yarmysh said Navalny will be buried at the Borisovskoye cemetery, located on the other side of the Moskva River to the south.

Such services, presided over by a priest and accompanied by congregational singing, typically allow people to bid farewell in front of the open coffin of the deceased. The chosen Russian Orthodox church is an imposing five-domed white building in a built-up suburb of southeastern Moscow.

It was not immediately clear how authorities would ensure crowd control.

His widow Yulia Navalnaya said she was not sure whether the funeral service would be peaceful or if police would make arrests. He delivered his comments at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, where he received a standing ovation.

WATCH l Navalny urges husband’s supporters to ‘stand next to me’ in continuing fight:

Navalny’s widow vows to keep fighting ‘for free Russia’

Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya holds Vladimir Putin squarely responsible for her husband’s death, as she vows to continue his fight ‘for a free Russia’ and urges supporters to join her.

Given past gatherings of Navalny supporters – whom authorities have designated as US-backed extremists – a heavy police presence is likely and authorities will crack down on anything they deem a political demonstration under protest laws.

Navalny, 47, died on February 16 in the Arctic penal colony. He was the latest in a series of Russian politicians and dissidents critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin who have died suddenly or at an early age.

Navalny and his organization face multiple criminal cases on terrorism and corruption charges that his supporters and many Western leaders say were politically motivated.

The Kremlin has denied state involvement in his death and said it was unaware of any agreement to free Navalny before his death.

Yulia Navalnaya urged European politicians and officials to investigate financial flows to the West linked to Putin and his associates.

He said, “Putin is the leader of an organized criminal gang. It includes poisoners and murderers but they are just puppets. The most important thing is the people close to Putin – his friends, associates and keepers of mafia money.”

“You and all of us must fight criminal gangs. And the political innovation here is to implement methods of fighting organized crime, not political competition. Not statements of concern but looking for prudent lawyers and financiers who can help Putin and his There are friends to hide the money.”

WATCH l Ukrainian official tells CBC he believes the Russian government is ‘100% responsible’:

Ukrainian military officer cites Russian prison conditions for Navalny’s death

Lieutenant General. Kirill Budanov, the head of defense intelligence in Ukraine, tells CBC’s Margaret Evans that he believes Russia told the truth about how opposition leader Alexei Navalny died — but insists on Russia’s guilt. Said that Navalny died due to being kept in jail.

Navalnaya currently lives outside Russia, but has vowed to “continue the work of Alexei Navalny” following her husband’s death. She has met several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, in California since February 16.

Colleagues angry over interruption in funeral

According to supporters, Navalny’s death certificate states that he died of natural causes.

His mother last week accused authorities of initially trying to blackmail her into holding her son’s body and holding a private cremation, a claim the Kremlin dismissed as absurd.

Navalny’s allies were looking for a hall to accommodate his supporters at the farewell ceremony, but said they were refused everywhere.

“Initially we planned the farewell and funeral for (Thursday) February 29. It quickly became clear that by February 29 there was not a single person who could dig a grave,” Navalny’s aide Ivan Zhdanov wrote on

Putin is due to deliver a speech to Russia’s political elite on Thursday and Zhdanov accused officials of not wanting Navalny’s funeral to be held on the same day and ignoring it.

Zhdanov also accused authorities of blocking efforts to secure a large hall for supporters to bid farewell to Navalny.

“Bastards. They won’t give us the date we want. They won’t give us the hall. Everyone will say goodbye to Alexey anyway,” wrote Zhdanov, who is based out of Russia.