Workers at Russia’s diplomatic mission in Georgia on Tuesday dismantled a makeshift memorial to the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny, the Paper Kartuli media outlet reported Tuesday.
Thousands of supporters have placed flowers at memorials in Russia and outside Russian embassies around the world since the announcement of Navalny’s death on Feb. 16.
On Tuesday, a group of men was seen throwing ribbons, candles and flowers placed in tribute to Navalny into garbage bags at Moscow's interests section in Tbilisi.
Supporters of the late activist present at Russia's interests section, which is based at the Swiss Embassy, tried to save some of the items from being tossed out by diplomatic staff.
When confronted by an activist about removing the Navalny memorial, one of the workers reportedly said: “You’ve done your grieving, now that’s enough.”
According to Paper Kartuli, workers had warned activists that they planned to take down the makeshift memorial to clear the fence that surrounds the Russian interest section's building.
Following the removal, Navalny supporters set up a new makeshift memorial beside a statue dedicated to Russian poet Alexander Pushkin at Tbilisi’s Liberty Square.
Russia's interests section in Tbilisi has acted as its mission in the South Caucasus nation since the diplomatic fallout from the 2008 Russo-Georgian war.
