(Syed Talat Shah): The funeral and burial of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny will take place in Moscow on Friday, according to his spokesperson, after efforts to find a hall where his supporters could say goodbye to him failed. Kira Yarmysh announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a memorial service for Navalny would be held on Friday at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God at 1100 GMT in the Maryino neighbourhood of Moscow. She advised everyone to arrive early. She revealed that Navalny, who died at an Arctic penal colony on February 16, would be buried at the Borisovskoye cemetery. His allies have accused President Vladimir Putin of having him murdered because the Russian leader could allegedly not tolerate the thought of Navalny being freed in a potential prisoner swap. The Kremlin, which casts Putin’s staunch critic and his supporters as extremists backed by the United States, has denied state involvement in his death and said it is unaware of any agreement to free Navalny before his death. Navalny’s death certificate, according to supporters, said he died of natural causes, Reuters reported. His mother accused the authorities of trying to blackmail her into holding a private funeral for her son by initially withholding his body, an assertion the Kremlin called absurd. Navalny’s allies had been looking for a hall to accommodate his supporters at a farewell ceremony but said on Tuesday they had been refused everywhere.
Alexei Navalny, Putin critic killed in jail, to be laid to rest in Moscow on Friday
