Aleksei Navalny’s Body Was Returned to His Mother, Allies Say

The body of the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny has been transferred to his mother by the Russian authorities, his spokeswoman announced on Saturday. This marks the end of a contentious battle for custody of his remains, although it is uncertain whether a public funeral will be allowed.

“Aleksei’s body has been handed over to his mother,” stated Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, in a social media post. “The funeral is yet to come. We don’t know if the authorities will permit it to be carried out as the family wishes and as Aleksei deserves.”

As of Saturday, Mr. Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, was still in Salekhard, located near the Arctic prison where Mr. Navalny reportedly passed away on February 16, according to Ms. Yarmysh. She mentioned that details about the funeral will be shared by the opposition leader’s team “as soon as they are available.”

Accusations have been made by Mr. Navalny’s family and aides against the Russian authorities, claiming they have been holding his body hostage and pressuring his mother into agreeing to a secret burial. On Friday, Ms. Yarmysh revealed that officials in Salekhard had given Ms. Navalnaya an ultimatum to consent to a secret funeral within three hours, or else he would be buried on prison grounds.

The deadline passed on Friday evening without any updates from Mr. Navalny’s team. There has been no response from the Russian authorities regarding the events described by the Navalny team. The circumstances surrounding Mr. Navalny’s death remain unclear; as per Ms. Yarmysh, Ms. Navalnaya received a medical report earlier in the week stating that he died of natural causes.

The news of Ms. Navalnaya, aged 69, gaining custody of the body indicates a possible change of heart by the Russian authorities following a social media campaign by Mr. Navalny’s team. In a six-minute YouTube video released on Saturday, Mr. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, aged 47, criticized President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for disrespecting the Christian values he claims to uphold while “humiliating Aleksei’s mother and pressuring her into agreeing to a secret funeral.”

The focus now shifts to how Mr. Navalny’s funeral will proceed. The dispute over custody of his body seems to reflect the Kremlin’s concerns about a public funeral in Moscow potentially becoming a rallying point for protests.