The funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny will be held on Friday in Moscow, his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said Wednesday.
"Come early," Yarmysh told her followers on X, formerly Twitter. It's likely that there will be a strong police presence at the funeral given that a large number of Navalny's supporters are likely to attend.
In other news, Russian officials appear to be relishing a gaffe made this week by French President Emmanuel Macron after he suggested that NATO countries had discussed the possibility of Western ground troops being deployed in Ukraine, saying such an eventuality could not be "ruled out."
Macron's suggestion was widely — and very publicly — rejected by NATO member countries yesterday. Russian media has since been dominated by Russian officials savoring the apparent division among NATO members, and Macron's misreading of the alliance's mood music.