Russia: Navalny buried in Moscow on March 1, his widow portrays Putin as a “bloodthirsty mafia boss”
Relatives of Alexeï Navalny, who died in prison on February 16, announced on February 28 the date and place of his funeral.
The Russian opponent will be buried in Moscow on Friday March 1st.
Yulia Navalnaïa, his widow, fears arrests and describes Russian President Vladimir Putin as “the
head of a criminal organization
”.
In Strasbourg, she called on Europeans to remain united against the master of the Kremlin.
Yulia Navalnaïa, the widow of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, spoke at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, February 28, 2024. REUTERS - Johanna Geron
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The mystery surrounding the funeral of
Alexeï Navalny
is resolved, after several days of vagueness and
difficult questions
.
The team of the opponent who died in prison communicated information on this subject on Wednesday February 28 via the online messaging service Telegram.
The former lawyer will be buried in Moscow on Friday.
“
The funeral service for Alexei will be held at the Church of the Our Lady Icon “Relieve My Sorrow” in Marino on March 1 at 2:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. universal time, Editor's note).
The funeral will take place at the Borisovsky cemetery
, which is located southeast of Moscow, Navalny's relatives reveal.
According to one of the opponent's close collaborators, Ivan Zhdanov, the burial will take place at 4:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. UT), nearly 20 kilometers from the red walls of the Kremlin.
First a funeral service in a small church in the middle-class neighborhood where Alexeï Navalny lived, then a burial in one of the smallest cemeteries in the capital.
And all without doubt, under very close surveillance.
Since the handing over of Alexeï Navalny's body to his mother on February 24, the team of the former number one detractor of Vladimir Putin's regime was looking for a place for a "
public farewell
" but was "
refused
" any request, according to them, the authorities are putting pressure on funeral sites.
The authorities would not like the event to turn into a platform for the opposition, a few days before a
presidential election
from which it will be absent and which should see Putin returned to power.
Read alsoRussia: those close to Navalny say an agreement for an exchange was close before his death
“
Putin must answer for what he did
”
Yulia Navalnaïa
, the widow of Alexeï Navalny, spoke on Wednesday from Strasbourg, in front of the European Parliament.
Invited to speak to MEPs, she expressed her fears about her husband's funeral: “
I don't yet know if it will be peaceful or if the police will arrest those who came to say goodbye to Alexei.
»
“If you want to defeat Putin, fight his criminal network”
Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of murdered Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny, addressed Parliament this morning.https://t.co/U8TGfQLgug
— European Parliament in France (@Europarl_FR) February 28, 2024
According to Moscow, the opponent felt unwell after a walk in prison.
But his wife once again spoke of a “
murder
” for which she accuses Vladimir Putin of being responsible.
In front of the European Parliament, Yulia Navalnaïa attacked the Russian president: “
Putin is the head of a criminal organization.
» “
You are not dealing with a politician but with a bloodthirsty mafioso
,” she continued.
Addressing Europe, Yulia Navalnaïa assured from the podium: “
In this fight, you have reliable allies.
There are tens of millions of Russians who are against Putin, against the war (in Ukraine, Editor's note).
Putin must answer for what he did to my country.
Putin must answer for what he did to a peaceful neighboring country and Putin must answer for everything he did to Alexei.
»
“
If you really want to defeat Putin, you have to innovate (...).
You cannot hit Putin with another resolution or another package of sanctions that do not differ much from the previous ones (...).
You, and all of us, must fight this criminal network
,” she insisted.
Also read: Yulia Navalnaïa: the natural heir of Alexeï Navalny
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