During Alexei Navalny's (Russian Orthodox) funeral on March 1, 2024, multiple photos show the pallbearers wearing the same red-black-red armbands on the left arm, as seen in [Photos: Crowds attend Navalny funeral as Kremlin warns against protests][1], [In pictures: Defiant Russians gather for Alexei Navalny's funeral][2], and [Funeral of Alexei Navalny in Moscow – in pictures][3], for instance.

Looking back, it seems that the (military) pallbearers during Gorbachev's funeral also wore similar armbands, but in this case those were black-red-black, as seen [In Photos: Gorbachev Laid To Rest After Moscow Funeral That Putin Didn’t Attend][4].

I am aware that plain [black armbands][5] are sometimes used as a sign of mourning, but I could find no reference to the red color.

Is this typical for (Russian) Orthodox funerals or is this a political/cultural/regional thing? What is the significance of the red color specifically? Do they have a specific name, and what is their origin?

[![Four Russian men with red and black armbands carrying a coffin][6]][6]

[![Several Russian peoples along the side of a street; some men are wearing red and black armbands][7]][7]

[![A Russian man wearing a red and black armband speaks with a military official][8]][8]

[![A Russian man holds a black and white photo of Gorbachev while four military men with black and red armbands stand nearby][9]][9]


  [1]: https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/3/1/photos-thousands-attend-navalny-funeral-as-kremlin-warns-against-protests
  [2]: https://www.reuters.com/pictures/pictures-alexei-navalnys-funeral-held-amid-tight-security-2024-03-01/
  [3]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2024/mar/01/alexei-navalny-funeral-moscow-russia-in-pictures
  [4]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/09/03/in-photos-gorbachev-laid-to-rest-after-moscow-funeral-that-putin-didnt-attend/
  [5]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_armband
  [6]: https://i.sstatic.net/EUMiW.jpg "Four Russian men with red and black armbands carrying a coffin"
  [7]: https://i.sstatic.net/7zeGx.jpg "Several Russian peoples along the side of a street; some men are wearing red and black armbands"
  [8]: https://i.sstatic.net/JBuIz.jpg "A Russian man wearing a red and black armband speaks with a military official"
  [9]: https://i.sstatic.net/seuDn.jpg "A Russian man holds a black and white photo of Gorbachev while four military men with black and red armbands stand nearby"