Russia's crackdown intensifies: Arrests at Navalny's funeral spark outrage

The arrests of those who attended Navalny's funeral on March 1 were reported by the independent Russian news outlet Meduza, which cited information from the human rights group OVD-Info. Officers are using video footage to identify participants.

Meduza has documented several cases where individuals were arrested after being caught on surveillance camera footage during the event. Additional arrests were made based on materials published on the Internet later. For instance, a woman from Moscow was accused of "using a forbidden symbol" for saying "Glory to the heroes" during the funeral, a phrase that aligns with Ukrainian sentiment ("Glory to Ukraine"). The authorities were alerted to her actions through a video recording.

The facial recognition system in Moscow enables the authorities to "trace the path of every individual right to their door," Dmitry Anisimow, a spokesperson for OVD-Info, told the Agentstvo news portal.

On the day of the opposition leader's funeral, held in 20 cities across Russia, 103 individuals were arrested, reported PAP, referencing the OVD-Info project. On February 16, the sudden death of Vladimir Putin's most significant political adversary was announced by Russian authorities. Navalny reportedly died in a penal colony located north of the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a 19-year prison sentence.