Thousands of people defied the threat of arrest by attending the funeral of Alexei Navalny in Moscow, embracing one of the last remaining avenues to register their anger at President Vladimir Putin as well as mourning one of the few politicians capable of standing up to the Russian leader.

Thousands of people crowded a neighborhood on Moscow’s outskirts on Friday — some bearing flowers and chanting, “No to war!” — as they tried to catch a glimpse of the funeral for Aleksei A. Navalny. The outpouring turned the opposition leader’s last rites into a striking display of dissent in Russia at a time of deep repression.

Thousands of people defied the threat of arrest by attending the funeral of Alexei Navalny in Moscow, embracing one of the last remaining avenues to register their anger at President Vladimir Putin as well as mourning one of the few politicians capable of standing up to the Russian leader.

The body of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable critic, was lowered into the ground to the sounds of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” as thousands of his supporters outside a cemetery chanted to be allowed in to pay their respects. Under the supervision of busloads of riot police, Navalny’s body was whisked into a church for a brief ceremony before being taken for burial.

Thousands of mourners gathered outside a Moscow church for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny despite a heavy police presence and the threat of detention.

Mourners clapped and chanted Navalny’s name as his coffin arrived at the church. Others shouted “Putin is a killer” or “no to war.”

Alexei Navalny was about to be freed in a prisoner swap when he died, according to his ally Maria Pevchikh.

She said the Russian opposition leader was going to be exchanged for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian hitman who is serving a life sentence for murder in Germany.

Two US citizens currently held in Russia were also going to be part of the deal, Ms Pevchikh claimed.

She added that negotiations were at their final stage on 15 February.

The Biden administration announced more than 600 sanctions and penalties on Russia and its military industry Friday — the largest round of sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago — as it tries to exert more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion and the sudden death a week ago of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. 

The US has announced more than 500 new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

These include measures against Russia's main card payment system, financial and military institutions, and officials involved in Navalny's imprisonment.

The EU has also announced new sanctions on access to military technology.

The measures mark a week since Navalny suddenly died in an Arctic Circle jail.

President Biden says the U.S. is levying 500 new sanctions against Russia’s military capabilities and the persons responsible for imprisoning Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who died earlier this month.

Mr. Biden said the sanctions are payback for Mr. Navalny’s death in an Arctic prison and designed to coincide with the second anniversary of Mr. Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday announced a significant sanctions escalation against Russia, targeting its financial system and military infrastructure with over 500 new penalties, marking the largest tranche of sanctions since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.

The measure was announced ahead of the invasion’s anniversary on Saturday and followed the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a penal colony in the Arctic earlier this month.