Family members and thousands of supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have attended his funeral in Moscow. The ceremony took place at a church on Friday before his body was laid to rest in a cemetery nearby.

Mourners shouted Navalny's name as his coffin was carried into the church amid heavy police presence. Foreign diplomats, including the US and French ambassadors to Russia, attended alongside Navalny's parents and other family members.

Navalny's wife and children did not attend out of fear of being arrested. Instead, Yulia Navalnya shared her memories on social media and thanked her husband for 26 years of "total happiness."

She has vowed to carry on his political activities and said there are tens of millions of Russians who are "against the evil" embodied by President Vladimir Putin.

She and many Western leaders believe Navalny was killed in prison. The Kremlin has claimed that he died on February 16 of "natural causes."

Dozens of people across Russia who gathered at makeshift memorials were detained. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that any "unauthorized gatherings" violate the law and those who participate will be "held accountable."