Symbol of Hope’: Russians lay flowers at Navalny grave

Russians queued yetserday to place flowers on the grave of late opposition politician Alexei Navalny, with mourners hailing him as a symbol of hope and perseverance the day after he was laid to rest in Moscow. Navalny’s mother Lyudmila was among the mourners, visiting her son’s grave for the second day, accompanied by the mother of Alexei’s widow Yulia. Both women, dressed in black, stood quietly at the grave, before leaving. Navalny, who was President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic inside Russia, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony on February 16. Supporters said he had been murdered. The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in his death. Thousands of people attended a farewell ceremony for Navalny on Friday, with some chanting his name and saying they would not forgive the Russian authorities for his death. By yesterday, the grave in a Moscow cemetery not far from where he once lived was covered with flowers left by thousands of mourners.Police looked on but did not interfere as mourners lay flowers at Navalny’s grave yesterday. Rights group OVD-Info reported that 91 mourners had been detained on Friday in 12 towns and cities, including Moscow.LondonGBDESK//