MOSCOW (RUSSIA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Thousands of people attended the funeral of Alexei Navalny in Moscow, the Russian dissident who died in prison on 16 February. The funeral took place in a church on the outskirts of the capital. As Alexei Navalny’s coffin was carried out of the place of worship at the end of the funeral, some people in the crowd threw flowers on the hearse and shouted “Russia will be free”, as reported by the BBC. The activist’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who risks prison if she returns to Russia, did not attend the funeral. “I don’t know how to live without you, but I’ll try to make you up there proud of me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to bear it or not, but I’ll try,” writes the widow in a post on social media. The ambassador of the European Union to Russia was also present at the funeral. “Alexei Navalny remains a shining example of what Russia could and should be”, the US Embassy in Moscow wrote on X.
“His death is a tragic reminder of how far the Kremlin will go to silence its critics. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, supporters and all those he inspired to work for a better future”.
“Today there is Navalny’s funeral, we sent our charge d’affaires to place flowers on his grave, a very clear message from Italy in favour of freedom of expression, democracy and the defense of human rights in the Russian Federation”, said the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, during a press conference at the Farnesina.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).