ADVERTISEMENT
Relatives and supporters of are bidding farewell to the opposition leader at a funeral Friday in south-eastern Moscow, following a battle with authorities over the release of his body after his still-unexplained death in an Arctic penal colony.
His supporters say several churches in Moscow refused to hold the service before Navalny’s team got permission from one in the capital’s Maryino district, where he once lived before his 2020 poisoning, treatment in Germany and subsequent arrest on his return to Russia.
His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, spent eight days trying to get authorities to release the body following his Feb. 16 death at Penal Colony No. 3 in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.
A message from Alexei Navalny's mother
Authorities originally said they couldn't turn over the body because they needed to conduct post-mortem tests. Navalnaya, 69, made to President Vladimir Putin to release the body so she could bury her son with dignity.
Once it was released, at least one funeral director said he had been “forbidden” to work with Navalny’s supporters, the spokeswoman for Navalny's team, Kira Yarmysh, said on social media. They also were unable to find a hearse for the funeral.
“Unknown people are calling up people and threatening them not to take Alexei’s body anywhere,” Yarmysh said Thursday.
Russian authorities haven’t announced the cause of death for Navalny, 47, who crusaded against official corruption and organized big protests as Putin’s fiercest political foe. Many Western leaders (blamed the death on the Russian leader, which the Kremlin rejected).
It was not immediately clear who among Navalny’s family or allies would attend the funeral, with many of his associates in exile abroad due to fear of prosecution in Russia. Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his regional offices were designated as “extremist organizations” by the Russian government in 2021.
Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny addresses EU Parliament in Strasbourg Jean-Francois Badias/AP https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/FranceRussiaNavalny/bebb81d207fc473fb7ba4b42c832e261/photo?Query=navalny&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=now-14d&totalCount=581¤tItemNo=22
The politician’s team said the funeral would be streamed live on Navalny’s YouTube channel.
His widow, accused Putin and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin of trying to block a public funeral.
“We don’t want any special treatment — just to give people the opportunity to say farewell to Alexei in a normal way,” Yulia Navalnaya wrote on X. In a speech to European lawmaker Wednesday in Strasbourg, France, she also expressed fears that police might interfere with the gathering or would "arrest those who have come to say goodbye to my husband.”
ADVERTISEMENT
As NATO allies continue to reject calls to send ground troops into Ukraine, around 5,000 German soldiers are preparing to relocate to Lithuania in 2027, in a historic move that will see the first permanent deployment of German troops since the Second World War.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited troops in Bavaria who will be affected by the move. He said Germany has "experience with foreign deployments, including through the Battle Group".
"Nevertheless, the conditions here are different, as we are talking about several years and, in many cases, deployments accompanied by families," Pistorius added.
Germany is to deploy two combat battalions to support Lithuania following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
Lithuania announces €200m aid package for Ukraine
The reinforcement of Lithuania is high on the agenda amid mounting concerns about a potential attack from Moscow, whose Kaliningrad enclave borders Lithuania, along with its ally Belarus.
The permanent deployment of German troops will be only 100 km away from the border of Russia. NATO hopes the stationing of the troops will protect Lithuania as they predict Russia could attack the 60km stretch of land on the Polish-Lithuanian border called the 'Suwalki Gap,' if the conflict escalates.
Watch the full report in the player above to find out more
ADVERTISEMENT
Paul Pogba, the celebrated World Cup winner, has been handed a maximum four-year suspension by Italy's anti-doping tribunal. The ruling was issued after the top midfielder tested positive for testosterone, a banned substance, casting a shadow over his career.
Even though Pogba said he would appeal to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, the likelihood of overturning the verdict is slim, given his failure to present any mitigating factors for the positive test result.
The positive result was confirmed in September, stemming from an exam that was carried out on August 20 after Juventus’ game at Udinese. He did not play in the Serie A match but was on the bench.
Pogba opted not to make a plea bargain with Italy’s anti-doping agency so the case was tried before the country’s anti-doping court.
Paul Pogba: What do we know about the extortion investigation?
A person familiar with the case shared the verdict with The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity, as the decision was not disclosed publicly in compliance with Italy's privacy regulations.
Pogba said in a statement he believes “the verdict is incorrect.”
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me,” Pogba said. “When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations."
The decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) could take up to a year, which is the standard timeframe - unless one party pushes for a fast-track process and the other side agrees to it.
Pogba was known for his versatility, physicality and eye for the goal. When he returned to Manchester United in 2016, the club paid Juventus a then world-record transfer fee of 105 million euros.
Pogba rejoined Juventus in 2022 but struggled with injuries, playing in only six Serie A matches last season and two this season. He was ruled out of France’s run to the 2022 World Cup final due to a knee injury.
Pogba helped France win the previous World Cup, scoring in the 4-2 win over Croatia in the final. He played in 178 matches for Juventus from 2012-16.
“As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against,” Pogba said.
Pogba's contract with Juventus, set to expire in June 2026, faces the possibility of early termination. The Turin-based club has yet to respond to the verdict.