Russian authorities detain hundreds as anti-war protests erupt
Russian authorities have detained more than 1,300 people at anti-war protests across dozens of cities after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine, an independent monitor said on Thursday.
Around 2,000 people gathered near Pushkinskaya Square in central Moscow, while up to 1,000 people gathered in St Petersburg.
Also read: Live coverage: Russia-Ukraine crisis
A number of Russian activists called on social media for people to take to the streets after Putin launched the offensive in the early hours of Thursday.
Anti-war #protests are growing #Ukraine #UkraineRussiaConflict #PeaceNotWar pic.twitter.com/97ArxgO7XI
— GL News (@GL__News) February 25, 2022
Look at the size of anti-war protestors in St Petersburg, Russia. Wow pic.twitter.com/dHg9Uwt9RQ
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) February 24, 2022
In #Novosibirsk, #Russia, local residents are marching in #protest against the Russian invasion of #Ukraine:pic.twitter.com/LjgAosDJXg
— Alex Kokcharov (@AlexKokcharov) February 24, 2022
Protests are erupting in several Russian cities tonight against Putin's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, along with attempts from police to forcibly suppress them. Here's his hometown of St. Petersburg. I'll be threading videos below as I find them. pic.twitter.com/B5MyG5E4ou
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) February 24, 2022
In Moscow, protesters were seen massing around Pushkin Square chanting “No to war!”
OVD-Info, which operates as a legal aid group and which was banned in December last year, said more than 1,300 people had been detained across the country.
On Thursday, Russian authorities warned anti-war sympathisers from gathering for protests.
The Investigative Committee, a government body that investigates major crimes, warned Russians of legal repercussions for joining unsanctioned protests related to “the tense foreign political situation”.
“One should be aware of the negative legal consequences of these actions in the form of prosecution up to criminal liability,” the committee said.
