Will the remains of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny be buried in secret, or will the authorities carry out the funeral at the prison where his death occurred on February 16? Those are the two options the Russian Investigative Committee presented to Liudmila Navalnaya, Navalny’s mother. The committee offered only these choices and pressed her to decide within two hours of the call, urging a quick resolution to the matter.
“An instructor just called the mother of Navalny and gave her an ultimatum. Either within an hour she agrees to a secret burial with no public goodbye, or Alexei will be buried in the prison precinct,” said Kyra Yarmish, Navalny’s spokeswoman, on her Telegram channel. The Russian authorities appear intent on preventing Navalny’s final farewell from turning into a public rebuke of President Vladimir Putin and his government. With presidential elections scheduled between March 15 and 17, officials want to avoid any incident that might complicate the president’s bid for reelection.
Navalnaya noted that the Investigative Committee lacks authority to negotiate burial arrangements, stating that they have no power to decide where or how her son will be laid to rest. She emphasizes that the law requires the body to be delivered within two days of the death certificate, which was issued last Thursday, making Saturday the final permissible day for the delivery. The family insists that the funeral and a traditional Christian eulogy be conducted with the respect due to their beliefs.
The Navalny team filed another legal petition on Friday under Article 244 of the Russian Criminal Code, addressing the “desecration of the corpse.” In a video posted to the son’s YouTube channel on Thursday, Navalny’s mother stated that investigators looked her in the eyes and warned that the remains would be harmed if she did not consent to a secret burial. She added that she disagrees with the demand and hopes that those who valued Alexei will have the opportunity to bid him farewell.
In memoriam
With Russia’s elections looming and the ongoing confrontation with Ukraine, Moscow is keen to prevent public demonstrations of discontent. Past protests following the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in 2015 are recalled as a warning. Police across several cities detained people who laid flowers in Navalny’s memory and even removed offerings to both Navalny and Nemtsov in the days after the deaths.
From San Francisco, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, for discussions last week. She publicly pointed to Putin as responsible for her husband’s death, while the Russian government denies the accusations. Although Kremlin sources suggest the president is aware of the details, he has not publicly spoken on the matter. When Navalny was alive, he was often dismissed with phrases like “that man” rather than naming him directly, a habit that is noted in contemporary reporting.