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Live updates: Russia-Ukraine war rages as Navalny's death spurs global outcry

Russian Orthodox priests have urged authorities to release Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny's body to his family.

The open letter, which has gained more than 800 signatures from both clergy and members of the public, was published on a website supporting Russian Orthodox Church clerics facing persecution due to their anti-war stance.

“We urge you to release the body of Alexey Navalny to the family so that his mother, other family members and like-minded people can say goodbye to him and give him a Christian burial,” the authors wrote in the letter.

The letter was addressed “to the authorities of the Russian Federation from Orthodox clergy and laity.”

“This is not only their desire and legal right, but also a duty to God and to the deceased,” the authors wrote.

In their appeal, the priests cautioned that refusing to release Navalny's body could be seen as an act of "ruthlessness and inhumanity."

Some context: Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died last Friday, according to the Russian prison service. The cause of his death is unclear and his team has accused authorities of lying to delay the process of returning his body to his family.