Mourning Fans Pack Moscow Church as Pasha Techniques Funeral Draws Thousands

Thousands of fans gathered outside a church in Moscow on Friday to mourn the underground Russian rapper Pasha Technique during his funeral, causing traffic disruptions and leading police to disperse the crowd, resulting in the detention of at least two individuals.

Pasha Technique, born Pavel Ivlev, passed away at the age of 40 on Saturday after being placed in a medically induced coma due to severe lung damage while in a hospital in Phuket, Thailand.

The abstract rapper, who struggled with substance abuse and gained a cult following through internet memes, had spent 10 days hospitalized before his passing.

According to the independent news source SOTAvision, up to 8,000 individuals congregated outside the Peter and Paul Church in eastern Moscow to pay their final respects.

Footage captured the scene of young fans chanting his name and spilling into the streets, momentarily halting traffic at the church entrance. Both National Guard units and riot police were sent to the location, and some officers reportedly used snowballs to break up the gathering.

Among those detained was Maxim Uryadov, the founder of the HelpMe addiction clinic’s video project “Vyzhivshiye” (“Survivors”), who had flown a drone over the crowd, according to the rights organization OVD-Info.

Following a nearly three-hour memorial service, Pasha Technique’s coffin was taken to the Nikolo-Arkhangelskoye cemetery located in the Balashikha suburb of eastern Moscow.