Mourners chant against Putin at Navalny's funeral, face FSB scrutiny
3:22 AM EST, March 5, 2024
"Putin is a murderer!" Zhanna Khokhlova, along with hundreds of others, voiced her protest during the funeral of Alexei Navalny. According to reports by SOTA, shortly after, the Federal Security Service contacted her, expressing a desire for a discussion.
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SOTA, an independent Russian news outlet, reported that a local FSB officer from the Moscow region reached out to Zhanna Khokhlova, stating they "wanted to talk with her."
During the funeral of the Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, Khokhlova was part of a group raising anti-war and anti-Putin slogans. The ceremony took place at the Borisovsky Cemetery in Moscow, with Navalny being laid to rest on a Friday.
The woman disclosed that she was recognized due to her not wearing a mask and confirmed she had shouted, "Putin is a murderer!"
At the church, during the funeral ceremony, the crowd also chanted: "Russia will be free," "Love is stronger than fear," and "No to war."
On the funeral day, after shouting these slogans, a police officer approached Khokhlova, attempting to detain her. However, she managed to elude him. Khokhlova believes the incident was captured by the officer's chest-mounted video camera. She also shouted "Freedom for political prisoners" during Navalny's funeral, as described by SOTA, which also shared a recording of Zhanna's conversation with the security services.
The organization OVD-Info reported that in connection with the funeral, the Russian authorities detained 15 individuals in Moscow and 89 in 18 other cities.
Analysts at the American think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, believe that the Kremlin likely refrained from suppressing anti-war sentiments during the funeral to avoid further outrage.
