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‘It felt like something sacred’ Meduza’s Russian readers who attended Navalny’s funeral describe their experiences

Source: Meduza

On March 1, Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny was buried at the Borisovskoye Cemetery in Moscow’s Maryino district. The previous day, the authorities cordoned off the church where his funeral was held and set up a corridor of metal fencing from the nearby subway station to the cemetery. But despite a heavy police presence, thousands of people gathered outside the church where his funeral was held and the cemetery where he was laid to rest. For more insight into what it was like to attend Navalny’s funeral, Meduza asked readers who were there to share their experiences. We’ve translated some of their responses into English.

Daria

I had no doubt that I had to be in Maryino on March 1. And I haven’t regretted going for a second. In total, I was there for six hours, but at the grave, I only had two seconds to place my flowers and leave. All the way to the subway, I couldn’t stop crying out of complete helplessness and despair. There was a wreath right in front of the grave with a ribbon that said: “From Yulia, Dasha, and Zakhar.” Right after I saw it, I was totally overcome with emotions. This once again confirms for me that Alexey Navalny was, first and foremost, a model father, husband, and friend, whose loss is simply excruciating. I was glad to see so many sensible people of all ages. This shows that we can’t give up and lose hope!

Ekaterina

My husband and I didn’t come on foot — to be honest, we were scared. We took the car and met the procession as it was going from the church to the cemetery. It gave you goosebumps. We drove past the church and saw a huge number of people and a huge number of police officers. Then, we went to the cemetery. There was an endless stream of people. We honked our horn in support, along with several other cars. We saw cars with diplomatic plates. We circled the cemetery several times, drove around the area, but the crowd of people was endless. We realized that there were thousands, maybe tens of thousands. It was very sad, but seeing the number of people also gave us hope. We will definitely visit the cemetery again and bring flowers, because we live very close. Navalny was so far away; now he’s so close but no longer alive. It’s heartbreaking.

Polina

Unfortunately, were weren’t able to see Alexey, the hearse carrying his coffin, his coffin, or the grave. We stood in line for a very long time, but it was very good to spend time surrounded by kind, sincere, and rational people. Surprisingly, there were many elderly people; there was even a pensioner in a cast standing next to us for a while. She later left because she couldn’t stand for very long, but she handed someone the flowers she’d brought and asked them to lay them at Alexey’s grave for her. I haven’t figured out how to cope with the grief yet. For me, as for many, the last two weeks have felt surreal, like something that shouldn’t have happened.

Vladislava

I decided that this was one of the few legal ways to take to the streets. And if I didn’t go today, there wouldn’t be another opportunity. I got to Maryino when they were taking Alexey’s body from the church to the [cemetery]. It was like a religious procession; it felt like something sacred. We didn’t stand still, we all walked together.

When the crowd was walking through the underpass, people in the center started chanting “Navalny!” — you could even hear them from the street. Closer to the cemetery, people were actively chanting, and it seemed like every other passing car honked and the passengers waved at the people walking. Further on, people were pressing against each other, forming a crowd. They chanted “Navalny,” “We’re with you, Yulia,” “All for one and one for all,” and “No to war.” I didn’t shout anything; I have a three-year-old daughter at home, and I didn’t want to end up in a detention center. I started crying when they chanted “Navalny!” Then, I smiled because I was surrounded by like-minded people who were all supporting each other. And then I started crying again.

Yegor

I came from St. Petersburg just for this. I decided that since Alexey was the reason I went to my first protest, it would be wrong not to go to my first funeral now. I traveled with a completely broken heart, but in the end, I was left with a sense of optimism: if so many people have decided to come out now, despite all the intimidation [from the authorities], then nothing is lost. The real Russia is here, around us. Its head and values are in still order.

For those who were afraid to go: don’t blame yourselves. It’s completely normal to be afraid of getting beaten with a baton or spending fifteen days in jail. It’s not our fault that we live in an upside-down world where it takes courage to attend public funerals. The most important thing is to know that this is a distorted reality and to not give up where you can actually do something.  

Elena

We live in a small town in Central Russia. My husband and I came by train to say goodbye to Alexey Navalny. We got to Moscow at 5:00 in the morning. We were lucky that we were able to arrange childcare and take time off work, because the trip took many hours on the road, two sleepless nights, and a day on our feet. Don’t think I’m trying to make us out to be heroes. It’s important to know these details to make the following thought clearer: for each person who came to the funeral, there are many more who [weren’t able to] come.

Alina

I work for the government, so it was very scary to go to the funeral — all my friends and family advised against it. I hesitated for a long time, but in the end, I realized that my conscience wouldn’t allow me not to go. I got off at Maryino Station, and a huge crowd swept me toward the church. There was a constant stream of people. I was struck by the variety of faces: young and old, middle-aged women and men, people with children. For the first time in many years, I felt free. And I saw how many sane people we still have. Thank you, Alexey.

Nastya

I went there alone, and when you stand in line for several hours without Internet or friends, of course you listen in to other people’s conversations. They talked about murder, about [Yevgeny] Prigozhin, about Western sanctions, and about how Navalny was in a ShIZO [punitive isolation cell], so we can stand in this line for him. One woman who was around 50 told her friend about how she staged a solitary picket protest near a store. People were walking up to her saying, “Can we help you with something?” and she thought to herself, “You should help yourselves.”

Surprisingly, the police behaved reasonably. A girl with flowers walked up to a riot police officer and hugged him, and they stood together for a while until his superiors snapped at him. When we were told that everyone gathered there would be allowed into the cemetery to say their goodbyes, the crowd burst into applause and shouted “Good for you!” I think this says a lot about those who came: despite the fact that we know the police are part of the repressive regime, we found it within ourselves to say a human “thank you” to them.

In addition to slogans supporting Navalny and his family and denouncing Putin, there were slogans such as: “Freedom for [Ilya] Yashin,” “Freedom for [Vladimir] Kara-Murza,” “Freedom for political prisoners,” “Peace for Ukraine, freedom for Russia,” “The party of crooks, thieves, and murderers,” and many, many others. The ones most chanted were “Navalny” and, of course, “No to war!”

Masha

I wasn’t in Moscow; like many others, I now live abroad. But there’s something very important I want to say. I watched Navalny’s team’s broadcast all day, and in the evening, I went to the memorial in our city. It was only by evening that I realized the sacrifice made by Alexey’s family, friends, and associates. I want to thank them for this sacrifice. (My God, what kind of a looking glass do we live in when you’re thanking people for something like this?) I don’t even know if it’s right to say thank you for something like this.

But it’s what I feel right now — they gave us the opportunity to say goodbye. Whether it was from behind a fence (for those who were there in person) or through the broadcast (for those who were far away), hundreds of thousands of people still managed to be together on this day. We were able to feel again what kind of world we could live in: one of love, support, unity, and genuine feelings. It was both a terrible and a beautiful day. It’s been a long time since we were among our own. But yesterday, we were. This is so important amidst this violent fucking mess. Thank you to Yulia, Dasha, Zakhar, Oleg, and Alexey’s friends and associates. And to Alexey himself, for bringing us together. I hope it’s not for the last time.

Anna

I’m from St. Petersburg. On the morning of February 29, my friends and I unanimously decided that we had to go. We bought tickets and flew out that same evening. We were very nervous. We got to our friend’s place; she wasn’t planning on going because she was born in Ukraine, and they always scrutinize her passport at airport security and make an issue out of it. In the morning, our friend simply said, “I’m with you,” and the four of us went there.

I've never seen so many people. We walked in an enormous procession, and there was a sea of people behind us. We thought we were probably somewhere near the beginning, but when got onto the bridge, we saw that the crowd ahead was even larger. You couldn’t see the end in either direction. Everyone was friendly, asking where it was best to stand, what would happen next, offering gingerbread and nuts, shouting “Let us in,” “Navalny,” and “No to war.” In St. Petersburg, they’d immediately haul you off for this (they take you away for less), but they didn’t bother us; the riot police just stood nearby. But their numbers grew every hour, which was unsettling. Cars drove by, honking, waving, and we waved back, shouted, and held up flowers. The crowd shouted, “We aren’t afraid,” which made my soul feel lighter and warmer. Once, a car drove by, and a huge guy yelled out, “Serves him right!” The crowd shouted back in unison, “Navalny! Navalny! Navalny!” It was powerful. I’m proud of our people to the core of my being; my faith in a bright future was resurrected yesterday when I saw that there are so many people, an incredible number of us, who think alike and are ready to fight!