Today, Saturday, Russian citizens lined up to place flowers on the grave of the late opposition politician Alexei Navalny, praising him as a symbol of hope and perseverance, one day after his funeral in Moscow. Lyudmila, Navalny's mother, visited her son's grave for the second day accompanied by Julia, Navalny's widow, and the two women stood in silence before his grave dressed in black before leaving.
Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin in Russia, died at the age of 47 in a penal facility in the Arctic on February 16. His supporters claim he was killed, while the Kremlin denies any state involvement in his death. Thousands attended Navalny's funeral yesterday, with some chanting his name and stating they would not forgive the Russian authorities for his death.
A woman who visited his grave today, withholding her name, said, "He was the one who made me realize the true state of the political situation in Russia." She added, "I closely followed all his investigations and shared them with my friends, even though they were not interested in politics. I love the truth and I love honesty."
The Kremlin has denied Navalny's allegations of corruption and his claims that Putin possesses a huge personal fortune. Navalny's movement is banned, and most of his senior allies have fled Russia and now live in Europe. Another visitor to Navalny's grave today stated he came "to honor the memory of the man who became a symbol of perseverance for me." He added, "He was a great symbol, and despite everything, he truly became a symbol of something free and bright—a kind of hope."
Visitors continued to flow to Navalny's grave today amidst police scrutiny, although the police did not intervene. The human rights group OVD-Info reported that police arrested 91 people yesterday in 12 towns and cities, including Moscow. There have been no reports of arrests today. Navalny was imprisoned on a range of charges, including fraud, contempt of court, and extremism. He denied all these charges before his death, stating that the authorities fabricated them to deter him from criticizing Putin.
