PARIS, France– Even in death, Alexei Navalny has defied the Kremlin as tens of thousands of Russians queued to mourn the opposition leader, puncturing a Kremlin narrative of overwhelming support for President Vladimir Putin.

Observers say that since Friday tens of thousands of mourners have flocked to the southeastern Moscow neighbourhood of Maryino to visit the grave of the Russian opposition leader, who authorities say died suddenly in an Arctic prison on February 16. His team says the 47-year-old politician was murdered.

Grieving supporters have brought heaps of flowers, candles, and hand-written notes, turning Navalny's final resting place into an anti-Kremlin shrine as Putin prepares for re-election in a stage-managed poll on March 15-17.

Since invading Ukraine the Kremlin has insisted that an overwhelming majority of Russians support Putin and the war against Ukraine.

But the long lines of Navalny's supporters have shown that Russia's long tradition of dissent against ruling authoritarian systems -- dating back to Tsarist and Soviet times -- remains intact.

Navalny's funeral turned into a striking display of dissent, with some supporters crying out chants such as: "Putin is a murderer" and "Ukrainians are good people."

"It took a lot of courage to go pay tribute to Alexei Navalny," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, in Russian.

- 'Cast doubt on myth' -

Political analyst Ekaterina Schulmann said the mass outpouring of grief was "extraordinary" and made her think of the funerals of writer Leo Tolstoy, Soviet bard Vladimir Vysotsky and Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov.

"At the cost of his sacrifice and death, Alexey Navalny freed us all from shame that is worse than death," Schulmann said on her YouTube channel.

"It is now clear that people's unity has overcome the demoralising effect of this death," she added.

Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said the people who paid their respects to Navalny are "dangerous" for the Putin-led authorities.

"They cast doubt on the Kremlin's main myth today -- the absolute consolidation of the nation around Putin and his undertakings."

Writing in opposition media outlet The New Times, Kolesnikov compared the mourners to eight Soviet citizens who protested against Moscow's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

"They saved the honour of the country," Kolesnikov said.

While many showed up, even more Navalny supporters stayed home because they did not want to take risks, he said.

Around a quarter of Russians have been saddened by Navalny's demise, while 53 percent of respondents said they did not feel anything, according to a study by the Russian Field polling agency.

Many said they were afraid to pay their respects to a man authorities branded an "extremist" but came nonetheless.

"I was terribly scared but sometimes a desire to demonstrate your stance is stronger than you," a mother of three told AFP.

The 49-year-old Muscovite, who asked not to be named, said that in order to lay flowers at Navalny's grave she packed a toothbrush along with sanitary napkins, medicine and a power bank because she could not rule out being arrested.

More than 100 mourners have been detained in 22 cities, according to OVD-Info, a monitoring group, and observers warn that more people could be detained in the future.

- 'Something will change' -

Authorities first demanded that Navalny's family hold a secret burial, but handed over his body after a high-profile solidarity campaign urging a dignified ceremony.

Over the past two weeks around 500 makeshift memorials have been recorded in more than 200 cities, and more and more Russians say they have questions about his death.

Activist Irina Putilova said one of her pro-Kremlin relatives said Putin had "overreacted" in the case of Navalny.

"His death in prison horrified people," Putilova told AFP. "Many people now think he must have been a good man if Putin had him killed."

The mother of three said Navalny's death would not lead to any immediate change inside Russia but expressed hope the tragedy would spur foreign leaders into action.

"I hope that the murder of the Kremlin's main opponent will make them realise that democratic methods are not sufficient," she said. Putin, she added, "must be treated like a criminal."

Grigory Sheyanov, a 47-year-old paediatrician, said he felt a "feeling of togetherness" with other mourners when he stood outside a church where a short Orthodox ceremony was held for Navalny last Friday.

"Something will change, including people's attitudes towards politics. There will be less fear. There will be more calm determination."