Russians have queued to place flowers on the grave of late opposition politician Alexei Navalny, with mourners hailing him as a symbol of hope and perseverance the day after he was laid to rest in Moscow.
Mr Navalny's mother Lyudmila was among the mourners, visiting her son's grave for the second day, accompanied by the mother of Alexei's widow Yulia Navalnaya.
Both women, dressed in black, stood quietly at the grave, before leaving.
Mr Navalny, who was Russian President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critic inside Russia, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony on 16 February.
Supporters said he had been murdered. The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in his death.
Hundreds of Russians visited the grave today, risking arrest to pay tribute to the anti-corruption campaigner for a second day running.
Thousands of people attended a farewell ceremony for Mr Navalny yesterday, with some chanting his name and saying they would not forgive the Russian authorities for his death.
"He was the one who had opened my eyes to the existing political situation in Russia," one mourner, who did not give her name, said of Navalny, who rose to prominence with blogs exposing what he said was vast corruption in the Russian elite.
"I followed all of his investigations closely. I showed them to my friends who were not very interested (in politics). I tried to show them to my parents, but that was more difficult. I love truth, I love honesty, and I'm very happy when truth wins," she said.
The Kremlin dismissed Mr Navalny's accusations of corruption and his accusations that Mr Putin had vast personal wealth.
Mr Navalny's movement is outlawed and most of his senior allies have fled Russia and now live in Europe.
Police look on
Another mourner visited the grave "to honour the memory of the man who has become a symbol of perseverance for me. And after what's happened, there's a feeling of a very deep sorrow".
"But as horrible as it may sound, it is still pleasant to see how many people came here, and this makes me feel some kind of communion," the mourner said.
"He was a symbol. He was a huge symbol. Despite everything, you can think of him whatever you want, but he has really become a symbol of something free and bright, of some kind of hope," they said.
Police looked on but did not interfere as mourners lay flowers at Navalny's grave.
A rights group, OVD-Info, reported that 91 people had been detained yesterday in 12 towns and cities, including Moscow. It did not immediately report any new detentions today.
Mr Navalny had been jailed on a host of charges including fraud, contempt of court and extremism.
He denied all those charges, saying they had been trumped up by the authorities to silence his criticism of Mr Putin.
Allies of Mr Navalny outside Russia have called on people who want to honour his memory but could not attend his funeral service to instead go to memorials to Soviet-era repression in their own towns last night.
The Kremlin said any unsanctioned gatherings in support of Mr Navalny would violate the law and those who took part would be held accountable.
Mr Navalny's wife Yulia and two children, who are living outside Russia, did not attend the funeral yesterday.
Yulia, who has pledged to continue her husband's work, thanked him for "26 years of absolute happiness".
She posted on X: "I don't know how to live without you, but I will try my best to make you up there happy for me and proud of me. I don't know if I'll manage it or not, but I will try."
Dasha, Mr Navalny's daughter, also posted an emotional farewell message on X, saying her father had given his life for his family and for Russia. "You always were and will forever be an example for me," she wrote. "My hero. My dad."
Mr Navalny, a former lawyer, mounted the most determined political challenge against Mr Putin since the Russian leader came to power at the end of 1999, organising street protests and publishing high-profile investigations into the alleged corruption of some in the ruling elite.
Mr Navalny decided to return to Russia from Germany in 2021 after being treated for what Western doctors said was poisoning with a nerve agent only to be immediately taken into custody.
Mr Putin has yet to comment on Mr Navalny's death and has for years avoided mentioning him by name.
