Moscow, Feb 16 (EFE).– Hundreds of Muscovites gathered Sunday at Borisovsky Cemetery to honor the memory of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on the first anniversary of his sudden death in an Arctic prison.
From the early hours, Navalny’s grave was covered with flowers and messages from ers, with mourners continuing to arrive despite the bitter cold of nearly -10°C gripping the Russian capital.
“It is an irreparable loss. I wish I had a son like him,” a Russian pensioner told EFE after paying tribute at the cemetery.
Among the messages left behind, one sign beside Navalny’s photo read, “I am not afraid, and you shouldn’t be either.” Another note declared, “Time does not heal wounds—we miss you.” A young man visiting the site bluntly said that “he has not died; he was murdered.”
A heavy police presence was observed in the area, though officers did not interfere with the memorial, which proceeded without incident.
Navalny’s death at the age of 47 remains a deep wound for his ers, who saw him as the only figure capable of challenging the Kremlin and leading democratic change in Russia.
Yulia Navalnaya, said in a video message released Sunday that the pain of separation had “made us stronger, and this year has shown that we are stronger than we thought.”
Navalnaya insisted that even in death, Navalny’s fight against the Kremlin continues, as his ideas endure and his words are echoed by politicians and public figures worldwide.
“One year later, Alexei continues to bring people together and inspire them. I know this will remain true in the future,” she said.
Navalny’s family, the opposition, and Western governments have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind his death on February 16, 2024, at the IK-3 penitentiary in the Arctic region of Yarp (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug).
The official explanation, made public in August last year, claimed Navalny, who had been transferred to the Arctic prison two months earlier, died of natural causes due to an arrhythmia. Others argue that prolonged solitary confinement ultimately led to his death.
Putin, meanwhile, has defended himself by claiming he had authorized a prisoner exchange involving Navalny, but that his adversary died suddenly before it could take place. EFE mos-sk
