Over a Thousand People Gather in Moscow to Bid Farewell to Navalny

Leonid Volkov, an ally of the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who died while serving a prison sentence, said in a live broadcast on Friday that more than a thousand people gathered near a church in Moscow to say goodbye to Navalny. Reuters was unable to independently verify this number. The burial ceremony for the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is taking place in Moscow today, Friday, amid tight security measures and fears of a police crackdown following his sudden death at the age of 47 in a penal facility in the Arctic region two weeks ago. Navalny’s allies, who promised to livestream today’s events, accused President Vladimir Putin of killing him because the Russian leader was unwilling to accept the idea of releasing Navalny in a possible prisoner exchange. They have not provided any evidence to support this accusation but promised to clarify how and by whom he was killed. The Kremlin denied any state involvement in Navalny's death and stated it was not aware of any agreement for his release. His death certificate indicated that he died of natural causes, according to his allies. A religious service for Navalny is scheduled for 2:00 PM local time at a church in the Marino district of Moscow, where he lived, and he will be buried two hours later at the Boriskovsky Cemetery, which is about 2.5 kilometers across the Moskva River.