let's bring in former cnn moscow bureau chief nathan hodge. she's with me in london and nathan just into cnn, i want to let our viewers know that we've had reports that alexey navalny's body has not yet been released, according to a family spokesperson, that spokesperson has tweeted that the body hadn't been released. this is as of ten minutes ago, he wrote on twitter that the relatives arrived at the morgue for 10:00 a.m. local time so that would be roughly two hours ago. i think then the spokesperson added that there could be delays to some of today's events as a result of the fact that his body hasn't been released. give us some context so and why officials would be making this difficult. >> well, i mean, first of all, this is a continuation and it seems of the saga that we've seen over just unfolding over the past two weeks following on the news of navalny's death and the refusal initially of the authorities at the prison in russia's far north to handover the body to his mother. there was what one could only describe as an incredible burea

cnn senior editor nathan hodge joins us now from london at nathan. good morning to you. what can you tell us? >> well, kasie, this is a two-week saga now that's been unfolding since the death of alexei navalny. >> first, >> we had an incredible drama that unfolded just over whether or not the authorities would be handing over navalny's body to his family. that was mother in the days after his death had gone up to the remote prison north of the arctic circle, where he died in an effort to retrieve the body. and there was a giant sort of behind the scenes tussle over, handing over the body with essentially navalny supporters shaming russian president vladimir putin, who is often cast himself as a defender of traditional snl for not handing over the body of alexey navalny so that he could have what his family wanted, which would be an orthodox christian burial. now, in moscow crowds have been assembling outside of the church in the southern moscow suburban neighborhood. where navalny's family had lived and they're gathering there with a very heavy police presence. as author