'Last Hero Of Our Fatherland': Thousands Bid Farewell As Putin Rival Navalny Buried At Moscow Church

Tears flowed freely as people held flowers near the cemetery where Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was buried, some mourners shouted: "We won't forget you!" and "Forgive us!".

Russian residents and locals gather to honor Kremlin 's opponent Alexei Navalny, who died on February 16 in a Russian Arctic prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence, and to protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime, near the Russian embassy on February 17, 2024, in Lisbon, Portugal. ( Image Source :Getty images )

In a dimly lit Moscow church, mourners gathered on Friday in solemn silence around the coffin of the late opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, while thousands paid their respects outside. Two weeks following his demise in an Arctic prison, Navalny's family was finally able to bid him farewell.

According to the news agency AFP, the modest, domed Orthodox church in a residential area of Moscow was not packed; a large number of people were waiting to go inside. Among those permitted entry were Navalny's parents. Inside, his body rested in a coffin, his countenance pallid and worn.

The casket was promptly closed after the brief funeral service, despite several people yelling, "Let me say goodbye, don't close it!" Outside, a defiant stream of mourners, which had gradually gathered throughout the day, erupted into applause.

Tears flowed as people held flowers near the cemetery where he was buried, some mourners shouted: "We won't forget you!" and "Forgive us!", AFP's report stated. A young man from the crowd exclaimed: "He was telling the truth about Russia. Thank you."

The report mentioned that those who came on Friday were angry. There is "overflowing resentment", said Inessa, a 60-year-old former lawyer. "I came because he was a hero, the last hero of our fatherland," the supporter is quoted saying.

Navalny's Demise Sparks Anguish 

Navalny's demise in a high-security prison colony above the Arctic Circle sparked anguish among his supporters, particularly among the younger generation of Russians who viewed Navalny as their beacon of hope for change.

Yet, on Friday, despair metamorphosed into defiance, despite a heavy police presence and apprehensions of arrests. "People like him shouldn't die," said a mourner named Anna, as quoted by AFP. "Honest. Principled. Ready to put themselves on the altar. He went all the way," she added.

Amidst the bustling crowd, clad in winter attire, many held up their phones to document the occasion—an echo of the rallies Navalny once orchestrated in the capital a decade earlier. "It's a bit scary because you don't know what it will turn into," said 37-year-old doctor Maxim.

"But I think it's a way for people to wake up and not be silent."

Public dissent has been sparse since the Kremlin's extensive military intervention in Ukraine over two years ago. The church and Borisovo cemetery were encircled by metal barricades, and dozens of police cars and officers were on patrol throughout their perimeter.

The Kremlin, refuting any involvement in Navalny's demise, cautioned against "unauthorised" protests during the funeral. Some of those in attendance were scared. Most said that they were present there to pay their respects, the report mentioned.

Alena, a 22-year-old archaeologist, expressed that she would regret staying home. "I realised that I can and I need to be here. If I don't ... I won't forgive myself," she said. "I was asked: why are you doing this, because the idea is dead. The idea is not dead! The man is dead, but the idea will live on thanks to those who are here," she remarked, as per AFP.

Navalny, a lawyer by training, Navalny tapped into the fatigue with Russian politics and perceived corruption to garner millions of supporters.