Church hosting Navalny's funeral is steeped in the war he opposed

General view of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God, where service for Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in a prison camp, is expected to be held, in Moscow, Russia February 29, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer

(Reuters) - Alexei Navalny was a Christian who condemned the invasion of Ukraine as a crazy enterprise built on lies. But the church that was designated to host his funeral has donated to the Russian army and enthusiastically advertised its backing for the war.

Navalny, Russia's best known opposition politician, died suddenly on Feb. 16 in an Arctic penal colony where he was serving sentences totalling more than 30 years. The Kremlin rejects accusations by his family that it had him killed.