Alexei Navalny has been laid to rest in Moscow as thousands of mourners took to the streets despite fears for their safety.
The Russian critic of President Vladimir Putin died on February 16th in a prison camp where he was being held on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.
Earlier this week, his widow Yulia Navalnaya addressed the European Parliament where she admitted that she was unsure if mourners would be arrested for attending.
But this they already knew, the consequences of public dissent of the Kremlin well understood by those who took to the streets anyway. According to the BBC, 400 people were arrested for laying flowers on the day of his death, with many of those since losing their jobs as a result.
Mrs Navalnaya, who lives abroad with their two children, posted on X thanking her husband for “26 years of happiness”.
She was unable to travel to the country over fears of repercussions from the Russian authorities.
Mr Navalny’s Mother, Lyudmila was able to attend, with mourners thanking her for her son’s work in highlighting corruption and criminality within the Russian elite.
Her son sparked the ire of the Russian dictator with his criticism during his attempt to run for President in 2018, with his slogan “anybody but Putin” striking a chord with large numbers of his supporters.
In January 2021, as he recovered from an assassination attempt with the chemical warfare agent ‘Novichok’, Navalny released a YouTube video showing the secret mansions said to belong to Putin that has since gained 110 million views.
In the aftermath of his death, Lyudmila fought hard to obtain her son’s body, with attempts to reclaim him repeatedly frustrated by authorities.
His body was eventually released eight days later after she refused to agree to him being buried in a closed, secret funeral.
The service was attended by representatives of many western nations, with the US, German and French ambassadors all paying their respects to man who the US Embassy described as “a shining example of what Russia could and should be.”
Undoubtedly aware of the global media attention, the large police presence did not overtly act to quell anti-Kremlin chants, as shouts of “Russia without Putin” and “Russia will be free” were heard from the crowd.
OVD-Info, a Russian human rights monitoring organisation later reported that 45 people were arrested across the country as a result of protests.
The crowd of mourners was larger than expected, with Mr Navalny’s friend Mikhail Fishman calling it a “sorrowful but inspiring day.”
He told CNN: “Despite all the repression that Russia is going through right now, thousands and thousands of people showed up to say goodbye.
“That means that there is hope for a beautiful Russia of the future.
“He is dead, but the hope is not.”
Featured Image: Via US Embassy in Moscow Twitter account