JRL NEWSWATCH: “Navalny’s Funeral to Be Held on Friday, Spokeswoman Says” – New York Times
“The service for the Russian opposition leader will be open to the public, but it was unclear whether the authorities will try to stop people from attending.”
“… The planned service, at a church on Moscow’s outskirts, sets up the possibility of a rare display of opposition sentiment in the Russian capital … [] Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, advised anyone planning to attend to ‘come early.’ … [A]nother top [Navalny] aide …, Ivan Zhdanov, posted … that ‘Putin is releasing all his dogs to prevent the funeral from taking place normally.’ … Hundreds … who turned out across Russia at spontaneous memorials for [] Navalny … [reportedly] were detained …. Ever since … Navalny’s death … his associates have said that the Kremlin has tried to prevent a funeral … in Moscow that could draw thousands of mourners and become a flashpoint for dissent. At one point, his team says, … authorities … threatened to bury him on the prison grounds if his mother did not agree to a private funeral. The Kremlin has denied being involved in any such discussions. …”
Navalny’s funeral is planed for Friday 2 p.m. at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows in Maryino, the neighborhood outside Moscow where Navalny himself reportedly lived until 2017. Navalny will be buried nearby in Borisovskoye Cemetery.