Questions and answers: What does the funeral of Alexei Navalny mean for Putin and Russia

Alexei Navalny will be buried in Moscow Photo: AFP

Alexei Navalny, who was the leader of the Russian opposition, will be buried in Moscow on Friday.

The ceremony is likely to draw crowds of supporters and pose a challenge to Vladimir Putin, who is widely accused of authorizing his assassination.

What's happening on Friday?

Navalny's allies have spent days trying to find the venue for the funeral, ready to hold a farewell ceremony for the opposition leader, who died in prison under unclear circumstances earlier this month.

After failing to find a place for the civil ceremony, Navalny's team said supporters could bid farewell to the 47-year-old politician on Friday at the Church of the Mother of God «Quench Sorrows» in Maryino. southern outskirts of Moscow, at 14:00 local time (17:00 GMT). Navalny was a practicing Christian.

The funeral is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Borisov Cemetery, located a few kilometers south, across the Moscow River.

Navalny lived in Maryino in the south. Eastern Moscow, which is predominantly a working-class area, has spent most of its life proud of its roots.

The church where Alexei Navalny's funeral will be held. Why did the Kremlin allow this to happen?

It took the Russian authorities more than nine days before Navalny's body was handed over to his family. His elderly mother publicly spoke out against prison officials and investigators who reportedly threatened her and tried to force the family to agree to a modest funeral outside the remote prison where her son died.

Navalny's mother resisted pressure, insisting that her son's supporters be given the opportunity to mourn the situation.

On Saturday, authorities backed down and handed over the body of Navalny's mother for burial.

What are the risks for mourners?

Thousands of people across Russia are bringing flowers to monuments dedicated to victims of Soviet-era political repression in memory of Navalny, but many faced arbitrary detention.

According to OVD-Info, which controls Russian police, at least 400 people were detained in 39 Russian cities during the first four days of mourning.

Anyone detained for organizing a protest faces imprisonment for a repeat offense Russia.

In St. Petersburg, at least seven men were detained and summoned to the military commissariat, where they were drafted into the army and sent to fight in Ukraine.

It remains to be seen how the authorities will react to the fact that, Crowds of mourners in southeast Moscow are likely to swell on Friday.

What are the risks for Putin?

Putin is running for re-election next time. month. He is confident that he will ensure victory in a tightly controlled election, where voting will also take place in the occupied territories of Ukraine, which will give rise to blatant falsification of the voting results in the complete absence of control from observers.

Pictures of thousands of people who survived arrests to mourn Putin's most formidable enemy is likely to hurt the Russian president's important ego.

His perceived popularity among Russians — which is a large part of his mandate — could be undermined if Putin orders his riot police to detain and beat mourners carrying flowers at a Russian Orthodox church shortly before the start of Lent.

Despite spending two and a half years in prison, Navalny remained a force to be reckoned with in Russia, and his speeches in court are widely cited as an example of moral fortitude. He closely followed developments in Russia, offering his ideas of resistance in the face of an increasingly totalitarian regime.

This turned out to be his last idea for political action. Earlier this month, Navalny called for military and pro-democracy Russians to show up at polling stations on Election Day at exactly noon to send a message to the Kremlin and the world that millions of Russians who would otherwise be afraid to protest are opposed to Putin's regime.< /p>

This, and the huge crowd at his funeral, will be his parting gift to Putin.