The Wife Of The Late Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Worries About The Possibility Of Arresting During Funeral

Yulia Navalnaya while attending a meeting of the European Parliament. (Source: European Union)

JAKARTA - Yulia Navalnaya, wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is worried about being arrested at her husband's funeral which is planned to be held next Friday.

Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, in a post on X tweeted, the service for Navalny will be held on Friday afternoon at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in the Maryino District, Moscow where Navalny used to live, quoted from Reuters on February 29.

Navalny is scheduled to be buried at Borisovskoe Cemetery, about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) across the Moskva River. A Reuters reporter on Wednesday saw three police officers patrolling the snow-covered cemetery, which is located near a busy road.

Navalny's allies accused the Kremlin of thwarting their efforts to hold a separate civil memorial service in a hall that could accommodate more people, as well as blocking plans to bury Navalny a day earlier. The Kremlin denies that, saying it had nothing to do with the arrangement.

"Two people, Vladimir Putin and (Moscow Mayor) Sergei Sobyanin, are to blame for the fact that we did not have a place for a civil memorial service and farewell to Alexei," Yulia wrote in X.

"People in the Kremlin killed him, then mocked Alexei's body, then mocked his mother, now they mock his memory," she continued.

The Kremlin denies any involvement in Navalny's death on February 16 aged 47 in an Arctic penal colony and his death certificate, according to his supporters, states he died of natural causes.

Russian Orthodox funeral services are usually led by a priest and accompanied by choral singing, with participants gathering around the deceased's open coffin to say goodbye. The church chosen was a majestic five-domed white building on the southeastern outskirts of Moscow.

Borisovskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia. (Wikimedia Commons/Brateevsky)

It is not yet clear how authorities will ensure crowd control. However, judging by previous gatherings of Navalny supporters, whom Russian authorities have designated as US-backed extremists, there would likely be a large police presence and authorities would break up anything they deem to resemble a political demonstration under protest laws.

"The funeral will take place the day after tomorrow (tomorrow) and I am not yet sure whether it will be peaceful or whether the police will arrest those who came to say goodbye to my husband," said Yulia in her speech at the European Parliament.

Navalny's allies have also sought a room to accommodate his supporters for a non-religious farewell ceremony, but they said they were turned away everywhere.

"Initially we planned the farewell and funeral on February 29. It soon became clear that not a single person would be able to dig the grave on February 29," Ivan Zhdanov, a Navalny ally, wrote in X.

February 29, Thursday, is when President Putin is scheduled to deliver a speech to Russia's political elite, and Zhdanov accused the authorities of not wanting Navalny's funeral to be held on the same day and of covering it up.

Zhdanov also accused authorities of blocking efforts to secure a large hall for his supporters to say goodbye to Navalny.

Yulia said she and others just wanted people to have the chance to say goodbye to her "in a normal way".

“Please, stay away,” she urged authorities.

Navalny's allies accused President Vladimir Putin of assassinating him, as the Russian leader allegedly could not tolerate the thought of Navalny being freed in a possible prisoner exchange.

They have not published evidence to support the allegations, but promised to explain how he was killed and by whom.

The Kremlin denies any state involvement in his death and says it is not aware of any agreement to release Navalny.

In the 12 days since her husband's death, Yulia has laid claim to taking over leadership of Russia's fragmented opposition, saying she would continue his work.