Photo: Peter KovalevTASS via Getty Images
Thousands have swarmed the streets in cities across Russia in anti-war protests against Russian PresidentVladimir Putin’sincursion into Ukraine.
Locals first came together on Thursday with demonstrations as an emotional plea to halt their country’s “full-scale attack” on Ukraine, where the death tollcontinues to rise. However, protesters were met with heavy police presence and arrests.
Hours after the first missiles struck in Ukraine, the Investigative Committee of Russia released astatementThursday warning citizens not to participate in “mass riots and rallies associated with the tense foreign policy situation,” as it’s “criminal” and will result in “serious legal consequences.
Regardless, protests erupted. A local Russian news outletshared videosas hundreds gathered with signs and chanted, “No to war!” Police used megaphones in an attempt to disperse crowds as local authorities were seen detaining protesters.
PHOTO: Kommersant Photo Agency/ShutterstockPHOTO: Valya Egorshin/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesPHOTO: Gavriil GrigorovTASS via Getty Images
As of Friday, 1,844 people were detained across 60 Russian cities, with over 1,000 people detained in Moscow alone,accordingto OVD Info, a civil rights group that monitors rallies and arrests in Russia.
Tatyana Usmanova, an opposition activist in Moscow, wrote onFacebookthat her country’s invasion is a “shame that will forever be with us.”
“I want to ask for forgiveness from Ukrainians. We did not vote for those who started the war,” she added.
PHOTO: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP/ShutterstockPHOTO: Kommersant Photo Agency/Shutterstock
Russia began an invasion of Ukraine earlier this week, according to the Ukraine government, with forces moving in from the north, east and south. The attack is still evolving but explosions and airstrikes have been reported, with threats mounting against the capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million people.
Numerous residents have been seen trying to flee. “We are facing a war and horror. What could be worse?” one 64-year-old woman living in Kyiv told the Associated Press.
source: people.com
