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The Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano

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On Air Now

The Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano

Overnight 1-5AM

Would you show up to Alexei Navalny’s funeral?

Moscow, Russia; Russia president Vladimir Putin. Tim Groothuis/Witters Sport via USA TODAY Sports

(Moscow, Russia) — Alexei Navalny’s funeral will take place in Moscow on Friday. The memorial service for the late Russian opposition leader will be open to the public. What’s not clear, is who will be brave enough to show up for the service that will take place in a Russian Orthodox church. Navalny’s widow Yulia says she is worried that Russian President Vladimir Putin will order arrests at her the funeral. Yulia Navalnaya says says it took more than week to get hold of her husbands body since he died inside a penal colony. The family is convinced that the 47-year-old was poisoned to death.

An ally of the Russian opposition leader says a prisoner swap was close to happening before Navalny’s death earlier this month. In a video on YouTube, the associate of Navalny said talks were in the final stages to exchange Navalny and two unnamed U.S. citizens for a Russian hitman imprisoned in Germany. The U.S. has been trying to return former U.S. marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal report Evan Gershkovich, who are both accused of espionage by Russia. Navalny died in a Russian prison on February 16th. The medical report stated his cause of death was “natural,” but President Biden has repeatedly said Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible.