People begin to gather for Alexei Navalny's funeral

1. READY Where is Navalny being buried?

   Alexei Navalny is due to be buried at Borisovskoye Cemetery, on the banks of the Moskva river in Moscow.

   His burial will follow a service at the the Church of the Icon of Our Lady Quench My Sorrow in the district of Maryino, where Navalny used to live.

   

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2. We just want to have a peaceful farewell - Navalny ally

   

   ReutersCopyright: Reuters

   Navalny's former chief of staff says there are already "many hundreds" of people waiting outside the church where the former Russian opposition leader's funeral is due to take place later on.

   Leonid Volkov tells the BBC World Service that "a lot" of police are also gathered - "like, as if we were going to start a revolution".

   "Our aim is to have a peaceful farewell and mourning, but it looks like Russian authorities consider [today to be] riot or something," Volkov adds.

3. Navalny's body has not yet been handed over to his family - spokeswoman

   Kira Yarmish, Alexei Navalny's spokeswoman, has just said that Navalny's relatives arrived at the mortuary at 10:00 local time (07:00 GMT) when his body was meant to be handed over, but that they've not been given it yet.

   "The timetable for today has not changed, but there might be delays," she says.

4. 'I feel like I'm burying my own son'

   

   Steve Rosenberg

   BBC Russia editor

   Pensioner Anna is queuing up outside the church.

   She tells me this about Alexei Navalny: “He was our hope. He was the same age as my children. I feel like I’m burying my own son.”

   Then a young woman, Alyona, tells me why she has come to pay her respects to Navalny.

   “He was the only person I could trust. I was dreaming that he would become president. It’s a huge tragedy for me and for Russia.”

5. The mood is sombre but - for now - calm

   

   Steve Rosenberg

   BBC Russia editor, reporting from Moscow

   At the Church of the Icon of Our Lady Quench My Sorrow, five grey onion domes rise into the overcast Moscow sky.

   This is where the funeral service for Alexei Navalny will take place this afternoon.

   There’s a heavy police presence: masked officers stand on guard around the perimeter fence.

   People, young and old, are queuing outside with flowers, hoping to be allowed in to pay respects to the late opposition leader.

   The mood is sombre, but the situation, for now, calm.

6. People gather for Alexei Navalny's funeral

   

   Emily Atkinson

   Live reporter

   

   ReutersCopyright: Reuters

   People are beginning to gather outside the Church of the Icon of Our Lady Quench My Sorrow, in Maryino, where the funeral of Alexei Navalny is due to take place later today.

   Navalny died on 16 February in the Russian prison inside the Arctic Circle. He had been serving a lengthy sentence on politically-motivated charges.

   With just two hours to go, his team says they continue to face difficulties in organising the farewell ceremony.

   His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh says they have been unable to find a hearse to drive the body to church.

   The farewell ceremony is due to take place in the morning, followed by the funeral service at 14:00 (11:00 GMT) and the burial at 16:00 (13:00 GMT).

   Stay with us as we bring you the latest from Moscow.