Navalny team complains:

Nobody wants to provide a hall for the funeral service

In Russia, people are being arrested simply for remembering the late Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny.(Bild: APA/AFP/DAMIR SENCAR)

After Alexei Navalny's body was handed over last weekend, the Kremlin opponent's supporters are struggling to organize the funeral service. No matter where they ask, nobody in Russia wants to take over the funeral. The fear of persecution and reprisals is too great.

"After a day of searching, we still haven't found a funeral hall," announced Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh on X on Tuesday. Some funeral homes had said they were fully booked, others had refused as soon as Navalny's name was mentioned.

"At one point, we were told that the funeral homes had been banned from working with us."

Yamysh had publicly announced on Friday that Navalny's supporters were looking for a room for a public farewell with the politician. The funeral is planned for the end of this week. She also asked those with suitable resources to get in touch with her:

So far, efforts have brought no success. However, obstacles of this kind were to be expected. The authorities have already cracked down on expressions of grief for President Vladimir Putin's harshest critic. Hundreds of people have been arrested in Russia simply for laying flowers for the deceased enemy of the regime.

Cause of death still unclear
On February 16, it was announced that Alexei Navalny had died in the extremely brutal "Polar Wolf" penal colony in Russia's far north. Only nine days later - after long pleas and numerous harassments - was the body handed over to his mother. She complained publicly about the enormous psychological pressure exerted by the authorities, who wanted to force her to bury her son in secret. However, she did not accept this. It is currently assumed that Navalny will be buried in a Moscow cemetery. The exact date and location are not yet known.