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Alexei Navalny’s mother Lyudmila accuses Russia of planning secret funeral for her son

Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known Opposition politician, died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony last week

Alexei Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya File image

Reuters, AP/PTI
Moscow | Published 23.02.24, 04:18 AM

Alexei Navalny’s mother Lyudmila on Thursday accused Russian investigators of planning a “secret” funeral for her son and said she would not agree to it.

“They want this to be done secretly, with no farewell. They want to bring me to the edge of a cemetery, to a fresh grave and say: here lies your son. I don’t agree to this,” she said in a YouTube video.

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There was no immediate response from Russian investigators.

Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known Opposition politician, died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony last week. His team and family have alleged that the Kremlin murdered him, an allegation the Kremlin has angrily rejected.

His mother said she had been shown his body and death certificate. Navalny’s team said the death certificate stated that the opposition politician had died of natural causes.

In the video from the Arctic city of Salekhard, Lyudmila said investigators have allowed her to see her son’s body in the city morgue.

She reaffirmed the demand to give Navalny’s body to her and protested what she described as authorities trying to force her to agree to a secret burial. “They are blackmailing me, they are setting conditions where, when and how my son should be buried,” she said. “They want it to do it secretly without a mourning ceremony.”

Putin flight

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday took a co-pilot’s seat in a nuclear-capable strategic bomber on a flight that appeared aimed at bolstering his image ahead of next month’s election.

Putin’s 30-minute flight in a Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber also seemed intended to send a reminder of Russia’s nuclear might amid soaring tensions with the West.

Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Death Russia Funeral Secrets Vladimir Putin
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