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Navalny Associates Say Looking For Place In Russia To Bid Farewell To Kremlin Foe

Flowers are seen placed around portraits of late Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny at a makeshift memorial in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin on February 23 during a rally marking the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kira Yarmysh, the former spokeswoman for Aleksei Navalny, said on February 26 that his associates are looking for premises to hold a farewell ceremony for the opposition leader, who died in a remote Russian prison on February 16.

"We are looking for a hall for a public farewell ceremony for Aleksei. Time -- the end of this business week. If you have proper premises, please contact us," Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly Twitter, providing a telephone number that appeared to be inside Russia.

Navalny's relatives have yet to confirm any details of a farewell ceremony and funeral for the anti-corruption crusader.

The Baza Telegram channel, citing unnamed sources at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow, said on February 26 that its employees had started preparations for Navalny's burial overnight, adding that the preliminary date for a ceremony was set for February 29.

Baza also published a video it received from a subscriber showing that a parking place at the Borisovskoye cemetery was thoroughly cleared of snow the night before with a large number of police vehicles present. The video was not independently verified.

Several Telegram channels mentioned possible sites where Navalny could be buried, including the Borisovskoye, Khovanskoye, and Troyekurovskoye cemeteries. All are in Moscow.

Navalny's body was released to his mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, on February 24, more than a week after his suspicious death in an Arctic prison. No cause has been made public for the death of the 47-year-old.

Hundreds of Russians have been arrested as people continued to honor Navalny's memory at sites across the country.

SEE ALSO: Dozens Mourning Navalny's Death, Expressing Solidarity With Ukraine Detained In Russia

Navalny's relatives, associates, and Western officials have blamed Putin for Navalny's death. Russian officials have said no foul play was involved and called the international outrage over Navalny's death while in prison "hysterical."

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a self-exiled leading Russian opposition figure, said in a recent interview with RFE/RL that a public funeral could trigger "large-scale confrontations" between Navalny supporters and law enforcement.

SEE ALSO: Putin Fears Navalny Funeral Could Trigger Mass Demonstrations, Khodorkovsky Says

Navalny died while serving a 19-year prison term on charges including extremism that he, his supporters, Western officials, and rights watchdogs called politically motivated.