Paranoid Putin ‘ordered FSB to save him from full-scale Soviet-Union-style revolt’ in wake of Navanly’s death

A PARANOID Putin ordered his secret service agents to prevent Alexei Navalny’s funeral from turning into a full-scale revolt.

The worried dictator was fearful that the event would paint a picture similar to outspoken Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov’s farewell in 1989.

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Police officer trying to control the massive crowd[/caption]

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Russian law enforcement officers seen on high alert at Navalny’s funeral[/caption]

Police officers walk past crowds gathered outside the church

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A paranoid Putin ordered special FSB agents to prevent a rebellion at Navalny’s funeral[/caption]

A mourner wipes a tear from her eye ahead of the funeral service

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People with flowers walk to the Borisov cemetery during the funeral of Navalny[/caption]

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Riot police crushing over flowers brought in honour of Navalny[/caption]

Workers carry the coffin of Navalny to the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows

Navalny’s parents Anatoly, right, and Lyudmila walk up to the church

Navalny’s parents attend the funeral service for their son

Kremlin ordered the Russian FSB agents to carry out an “operation” to “protect the constitutional order from threats”, reported the Moscow Times.

An official told the media outlet: “The task [by FSB] was to prevent a revolt similar to the farewell to Sakharov.”

Andrei Sakharov was a Nobel prize-winning scientist who spent his career developing Nuclear weapons for the Soviet Union.

But he was mostly known for his political activism and nuclear non-proliferation, which put him at odds with the Soviet establishment.

Much like Navalny, he became the leader of a growing opposition movement against the USSR and was internally exiled within Russia.

Sakharov’s funeral in 1989 drew close to 50,000 people and was described as a “frightening procession” where people outpoured their support for Russia’s critique.

It illustrated how the country was ready for a massive political change – and went on to become one of the first steps that brought Mikhail Gorbachev’s USSR down to dust.

Putin deployed maximum measures to prevent Navalny’s funeral from becoming a rerun of the 1989 event.

The state and loyalist media were ordered not to cover the funeral procession, an instruction which was slavishly obeyed.

Two senior sources said Navalny’s send-off “caused unrest among the country’s top leadership, despite the ostentatious self-confidence demonstrated by President Vladimir Putin”.

The Kremlin “held a series of meetings with senior generals of the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a colony above the Arctic Circle”

An official said: “Navalny’s funeral is a stress test for the Russian authorities.

“This topic was one of the most important at meetings involving Kremlin officials, FSB generals and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

Tens of thousands stayed after the burial to pay homage to the “murdered” Russian opposition leader – and chanted slogans backing Ukraine, opposing the war, and hostile to Putin.

Police detained more than 400 people across the country at memorials and rallies to honour Navalny the day after he died in jail.

And six others were detained in Moscow at the funeral procession itself, although large crowds of mourners remained.

One was a man who shouted: “Who killed Navalny?”

Footage from the scene showed a large crowd of people clapping and shouting Navalny’s name as the hearse transporting his body arrived at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God Soothe My Sorrows.

Mourners were heard chanting: “Putin is a killer”, “We won’t forget”, “Freedom for political prisoners”, and “Russia without Putin”.

More than 1,000 people waited near the church to pay their respects to the anti-corruption activist, according to one of his allies.

Many were carrying flowers and stood in silence as uniformed officers checked documents and personal belongings before the ceremony.

The politician’s parents – Anatoly Navalny and Lyudmila Navalnaya – were seen walking to the church in Moscow ahead of the ceremony.

His widow Yulia Navalnaya – understood to be outside of Russia – was not in attendance.

She paid tribute to her late husband following the funeral on X, thanking him for “26 years of absolute happiness… even over the last three years”.

Yulia added: “For love, for always supporting me, for making me laugh even from prison, for the fact that you always thought about me. 

“I don’t know how to live without you, but I will try to make you up there happy for me and proud of me. I don’t know if I can handle it or not, but I will try.”

The opposition leader’s coffin was carried out of the church less than an hour after the ceremony began and moved to the Borisovskoye Cemetery.

A white shroud was placed over Navalny’s head and mourners walked up to the casket to pay their respects.

The politician’s parents stood either side of the coffin as it was closed and lowered into the grave to the song My Way by Frank Sinatra, his spokeswoman said.

Iron fences surrounded the church, apparently intended to limit Navalny’s supporters’ access to the farewell ceremony, and a notice advised people not to film or take photographs.

The Kremlin earlier warned against unsanctioned gatherings for the late opposition leader.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Any unauthorised gatherings will be in violation of the law and those who participate in them will be held responsible.”

AFP

A woman holding a sign accusing Putin of being a killer during a protest in Washington DC[/caption]

Yulia Navalnaya did not attend the funeral service for her husband

Law enforcement officers gather near the Borisovskoye Cemetery

A woman holds a portrait of Alexei Navalny and a book titled ‘A saint against the Reich’

Flowers are seen placed beside photographs and placards opposite the Russian Embassy in London