Moscow: The funeral service for Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is scheduled to take place at a church in southern Moscow on Friday, according to an announcement by the late politician’s aide.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Navalny’s team conveyed, “Alexei’s funeral will be held in a church in Maryino on 1 March at 14:00. Come in advance.” Navalny, aged 47 and widely recognized as Russia’s prominent opposition leader, passed away on February 16 while serving a 19-year prison term on extremism charges at an Arctic penal colony.
Earlier this week, associates of Navalny disclosed that discussions were underway just before his demise regarding a potential exchange for a Russian prisoner held in Germany. Maria Pevchikh, a close confidante residing outside Russia, asserted in a video statement, “Alexei Navalny could have been sitting here now, today. It’s not a figure of speech.” She claimed to have received confirmation of advanced negotiations on February 15, the day before Navalny’s reported death. However, her assertions, reiterated on social media by other Navalny aides, remain unverified, lacking supporting evidence.
According to Pevchikh, Navalny and two American citizens detained in Russia were slated for exchange for Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 assassination in Berlin of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a Georgian citizen of Chechen descent. German judicial authorities concluded that Krasikov acted under orders from Russian officials, who provided him with a false identity, passport, and resources to execute the killing.
Despite these claims, German officials have refrained from commenting on any Russian efforts to negotiate Krasikov’s swap. Pevchikh alleged in her video, without substantiating evidence, that Putin was unwilling to release Navalny and thus decided to “eliminate the bargaining chip.”
Navalny had been detained since January 2021, following his voluntary return to Moscow after receiving treatment in Germany for nerve agent poisoning, which he attributed to the Kremlin. Subsequently, he faced multiple prison sentences on charges he deemed politically motivated.
