Alexei Navalny's funeral: Family struggles to find hearse to drive body to church

Hours before the funeral of Alexei Navalny, a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, his team informed that they have been facing difficulties in organising the farewell ceremony.

Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said that till now no hearse has been found to drive the body to church.

"Unknown people are calling mortuaries and threatening them if they accept to take Alexei's body," Yarmysh said, as reported by BBC.

Also Read: Alexei Navalny's body handed to his mother, more than a week after his death in Russian prison

Navalny's funeral will be carried out on Friday (Mar 1) in Maryino, on the outskirts of Moscow. The team on Wednesday (Feb 28) announced that the memorial service will be held at the Church of the Icon of Our Lady Quench My Sorrows at 14:00 Moscow time (11:00 GMT).

The burial will be held at the Borisovskoye Cemetery at 16:00 Moscow time. The team will also livestream the funeral service of Navalny on YouTube.

On February 16, Navalny died in a Russian prison located inside the Arctic Circle. He was kept in prison for three years over various charges.

Navalny's team asks people to join funeral amid fears of violence

Navalny's team has been encouraging people to attend the funeral and shared a map of the route between the locations.

The team has also shared a list of places - Seoul, Rome, Montreal and Stockholm, from where people can take part in memorial services for Navalny.

Speaking to BBC, Navalny's former chief of staff Leonid Volkov expressed his concern regarding what might happen during the service in Moscow.

Watch: Russia: Alexei Navalny to be burried on March 1; Navalny's widow fears arrests at funeral

"I'm afraid that surprises are to be expected tomorrow... frankly, as I speak now, I don't know if they will actually allow people to say goodbye to Alexei," Navalny said.

He said that the team of Navalny was also worried that issues might arise with the church where the service is taking place.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Ashurkov, who is a long-term friend and associate of Navalny, said that there are chances of police brutality and violence at the funeral.

Speaking to The Independent, Ashurkov said, “For many people Navalny was a hero and it only makes sense people have a chance to pay a last tribute to him tomorrow."

“I don’t know how brutal and violent it will get in Moscow, but there is a chance of it. In the two weeks since Navalny’s death, authorities have been quite brutal and dozens of people were arrested," he added. 

(With inputs from agencies)