Funeral agencies are declining to hold the farewell for Alexey Navalny, as reported by the late politician’s press secretary, Kira Yarmysh.
Alexey Navalny’s supporters have been searching for a place to conduct the farewell ceremony for over a day.
'We have contacted most state and private funeral parlors and commercial venues. Some claim that the location is already booked, while others decline our request as soon as they hear Navalny’s name. One agency straightforwardly told us that funeral homes are not allowed to provide services to us,' wrote Kira Yarmysh.
On February 26, Yarmysh said that Navalny would be buried at the end of the week.
Navalny’s ally, Maria Pevchikh, claimed that negotiations were underway to exchange the politician for the Federal State Security (FSB) officer, Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life term in Germany for murdering a Chechen field commander. According to Pevchikh, on February 15 she was informed that the negotiations were in their final stages. The next day, the Federal Penitentiary Service reported Navalny’s death.
Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, stated that he was unaware of any agreements to exchange Krasikov for Navalny.
