Thousands of mourners gathered to pay their respects to the former opposition figure — expressing defiance and calling Navalny a “true hero”. They were present in and outside the church where the funeral service took place and also walked with the procession to the burial site.
“Lyoha, bye! Sleep well, dear,” someone shouted from the crowd that had converged on the cemetery. Lyoha is a nickname of Navalny’s.
Others in the crowd were chanting: “Let us in to say goodbye!”
Police officers have been deployed on rooftops near the Church of Mother of God in Moscow.
Russian state news agencies and broadcasters gave very limited space to the funeral and burial of Navalny.
Navalny’s family and supporters have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having him killed, an accusation that the Kremlin has rejected.
