The death of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny in a Russian prison on February 16 led to an outpouring of grief across Europe, but in Moscow the reaction was more mixed, with some people calling him brave and others saying he won't be missed.
As reports spread on February 16 that the opposition politician had died, RFE/RL's Russian Service asked residents of the Russian capital for their reactions.
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Muscovites React To Reports Of Navalny's Death
"I think he was a very brave and honest man. He was the only one to do things we are afraid to do -- [to] do the right things. He paid for this with his life. This is horrible and unfair," one young woman said.
Her positive reflection contrasted with that of and older man who said he was "probably both a good and a bad man," depending on one's point of view.
SEE ALSO: What Navalny's Death Could Change -- Or Not"I don’t find him interesting, nor his fate. I think that everyone who is against Russia is guilty, even if they are right," the man told RFE/RL.
An older woman with tears rolling down her cheeks said she was very sad.
"He fought for us! My dear boy," the woman said.
Other Russians said they had not followed his case since he was jailed and he won't be missed, while yet another opinion was that he was partly to blame for his death because he returned to Russia after being poisoned in an incident that Navalny himself believed Putin ordered.
"It was his choice to fight until the very end. The people who supported him and his ideas should probably keep fighting," said a bespectacled middle-age man, while a younger man said he'll be remembered for what he did.
Meanwhile, Russians living abroad and citizens of many European Union countries gathered to express their sorrow over Navalny's death and anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Protests Outside Russian Embassies Amid Reports Of Navalny's Death
In Serbia hundreds of Russians and others lit candles and laid flowers outside the Russian Embassy in Belgrade, capital of the fellow Slavic country that is the home of tens of thousands of Russians who moved to Serbia since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
Hundreds gathered in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, which has also seen a huge influx of Russians since the invasion. Some held banners calling Putin a “killer” and demanding accountability. Up to 300 people attended a similar rally in Georgia’s third-largest city, Batumi.
A crowd of 500 to 600 people gathered in Berlin, according to police estimates. Some chanted "Putin to the Hague," referring to the international criminal court investigating war crimes in Ukraine.
Police used barriers to close off the road between the Russian Embassy and the crowd.
"Aleksei Navalny is the leader of the Russian opposition and we always kept hope in his name," a Russian man who gave his name only as Ilya was quoted by Reuters as saying.
SEE ALSO: Biden Joins Other World Leaders In Blaming Putin For Navalny's DeathProtesters placed flowers and candles by a portrait of Navalny in Lithuania, which is home to a sizeable community of Russian emigres.
"He was always with us, so it is all surreal," Lyusya Shtein, 26, a Pussy Riot activist who has lived in Vilnius since leaving Russia in 2022, was quoted by Reuters as saying. "None of us yet understand what happened."
Protesters also assembled in the Armenian capital of Yerevan after Russian authorities announced that Navalny fell unconscious and died after a walk at the Arctic prison where he was serving a lengthy sentence.
Crowds of protesters also rallied in London and Paris, as well as the capitals of Latvia, Bulgaria, and Estonia. Groups also gathered in Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Geneva, and The Hague, Reuters reported.
Images of the 47-year-old were left alongside bouquets of flowers outside the Russian Embassy in London. More than 100 protesters stood outside the embassy holding placards that called Putin a war criminal.
Near the Russian Embassy in Paris, where around 100 protesters gathered, Natalia Morozov said Navalny had been a symbol of hope.
"It's hard for me to express my emotions, because I'm really shaken," Morozov told Reuters. "Now we no longer have hope for the beautiful Russia of the future."
Outside Europe, hundreds rallied in Israel at the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv chanting “Russia without Putin!” and “Russia will be free!" And in New York City a vigil was held outside the Russian consulate.
"I really believe that he's the one and he can lead Russia to a better future," said Violetta Soboleva, a Russian studying for her doctorate who she had volunteered for Navalny's presidential campaign in 2017. "And now we've lost this future forever, and there is nothing we can do about it anymore, for right now."