Hearses refuse to take Alexei Navalny’s body after threats, team says

Allies of the late Russian opposition leader say they will find a way to move his body from the morgue to his funeral

Navalny supporters have accused the authorities of blocking a civil memorial service that they wanted to hold for him

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Roses are laid at a picture of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a makeshift memorial in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Thursday. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:01am, 1 Mar 2024Updated: 3:51am, 1 Mar 2024

Hearse drivers are refusing to take Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s body from the morgue to his funeral on Friday after receiving threats, his allies said.

Since the Kremlin critic’s death in prison almost two weeks ago, his team have accused authorities of trying to prevent him from having a dignified public burial.

“What a disgrace. Now the hearse drivers refuse to take Alexei from the morgue,” said Ivan Zhdanov, an exiled ally who managed Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, on Thursday.

Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said funeral directors had received threatening calls from “unknown people” warning them not to transport Navalny’s body anywhere.

People on Thursday walk past the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow, where the funeral service for Alexei Navalny is expected to be held. Photo: Reuters

Zhdanov said Navalny’s team would cope and find a solution anyway.

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