Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson said Friday that Navalny’s body is being withheld from his family unless his mother agrees to a private, closed-casket funeral. This was further corroborated by Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who responded on Saturday through a video shared on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin is behind the orders that Navalny’s mother may not have a public funeral.

Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson, said on X that an investigator called Navalny’s mother and gave her an “ultimatum” that she must have a closed casket funeral without a public farewell or else Navalny would be buried in the penal colony where he died. Yarmysh said that Navalny’s mother refused to negotiate with the Investigative Committee, believing that they have no authority to demand how and where to bury Navalny, and demanded investigators comply with Russian law, which sets out that the body should be given to the family within two days of the establishment of the cause of death. Yarmysh stated that Navalny’s mother was informed that the two-day window to return the body expires tomorrow.

Yulia Navalnaya posted a video on YouTube titled “Putin’s fake faith,”  which criticizes the Russian president for practicing Christianity while refusing to allow Navalny’s body to be handed over to his family. She stated that the body has now been withheld for nine days. Yulia Navalnaya stated:

Today is nine days since my husband died, nine days since Putin murdered him. But murder wasn’t enough for Putin. Now his body is being held hostage, he mocks Alexei’s mother and forces her to agree to a secret funeral.

Alexei Navalny was a prominent Russian opposition figure and died in a penal colony where he was serving a prison sentence.