Alexei Navalny will be buried at a cemetery in Moscow on Friday.

For years, he was the most high-profile critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is being blamed for his sudden death in an Arctic prison earlier this month.

Few details have been released on the cause of Mr Navalny’s death, and Russian authorities initially refused to hand over his body to his mother.

They finally relented eight days after he died.

According to BBC News, Mr Navalny’s spokeswoman said his team were struggling to find somewhere to hold the ceremony, with some funeral homes claiming to be fully booked, while others refused when they found out who the event was for.

His funeral service will be held at Borisovskoye Cemetery, after a farewell ceremony in the Maryino district.