Mourners across Europe pay tribute to Navalny

From cities in Western Europe to capitals of former Soviet bloc countries, people paid tribute to Navalny. Navalny is a charismatic lawyer widely seen as the politician most capable of rallying domestic opposition to President Putin.

And some mourners were already blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death.

“Putin’s killer! Putin, go to The Hague,” shouted a crowd outside the imposing Russian embassy in Berlin. It is named after the Dutch city that hosts the International Criminal Court.

Hundreds of people gathered there, most of them Russian-speaking, many holding posters of opposition politicians and slogans criticizing Vladimir Putin.

Evgeny Shirokin, who coordinates Germany’s Freenavarny movement, said: “It has taken a huge psychological toll.”

“That motivates us to keep working to fight against President Putin,” added the 43-year-old, holding a black-and-white photo of an opposition figure.

Flowers, candles and a photo of Navalny were placed on the sidewalk behind him.

In Warsaw, about 100 people gathered in front of the Russian embassy and demonstrated. Most of them were young and visibly shaken.

A 29-year-old Russian, who only wanted to be identified as Denislan, said he saw Mr. Navalny as a symbol of Russian civil society.

“I’m here because Russia should and can become a democracy,” he said.

Candles were lit and flowers were laid out in front of the heavily guarded embassy gates.

In Switzerland, about 300 people took part in an impromptu rally outside Zurich train station, and more than 100 people gathered in front of the United Nations in Geneva holding portraits of Navalny and white flowers.

And in Moscow, a small group of Russians laid flowers at a makeshift memorial.

Images on social media showed dozens of people lining up to lay flowers at monuments to victims of political repression in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The shocking announcement of Navalny’s death comes at the end of a formal campaign in March’s presidential election, which critics said was staged and would extend the 71-year-old’s 20-year hold on power. It was announced the day before it started.

In the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, crowds gathered at a memorial to the victims of the Soviet occupation.

“Even in prison he managed to find strength and give it to those who resisted,” said a Russian resident of Vilnius, who declined to give his name.

In London, dozens of people gathered outside the Russian embassy, ​​holding signs in English and Russian that read “Putin’s assassin,” “Navalny is our hero,” and “Putin goes to hell.”

Hundreds of people also gathered in the capitals of Armenia, France, Georgia and the Netherlands.

Navalny narrowly survived poisoning with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok in 2020. After receiving treatment in Germany, he returned to Russia in 2021, but was soon arrested and subsequently imprisoned.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have fled their homeland since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

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