March 05, 2024

Thousands Turn Out for Navalny's Funeral


Thousands Turn Out for Navalny's Funeral
A crowd of mourners bearing flowers at Alexei Navalny's funeral.  Прикли, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Funeral services were held for Alexei Navalny on March 1 in Moscow and drew thousands of Russians and international guests.

The funeral was held in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God, in the Maryino district, Navalny's former neighborhood. After the services, Navalny was buried in the nearby Borisovskoye Cemetery. The church service was attended only by relatives and friends, but thousands made the journey to the cemetery to pay tribute to the fallen opposition leader

People holding bouquets and signs depicting Navalny lined the streets on the way to Borisovskoye Cemetery. Even an hour before the funeral, the line of mourners stretched over a kilometer from the church. The service itself was brief, only twenty minutes, before the coffin was closed and loaded into a hearse. Mourners threw flowers at the hearse as it drove, with shouts of "Thank you!" and "Heroes never die!" 

At the cemetery, Navalny was lowered into his grave while Frank Sinatra's "My Way" was played. The cemetery service also featured the soundtrack from Terminator 2, one of Navalny's favorite films. 

Many mourners wore face masks or otherwise obscured their identities. At least 45 people were arrested in various Russian cities in connection with memorials for Navalny. 

You Might Also Like

Navalny Launches Antiwar Campaign
  • June 21, 2023

Navalny Launches Antiwar Campaign

Politician and political prisoner Alexei Navaly is launching a "big propaganda machine" to counter Putin and pro-war propaganda.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955