Russia has detained over 1,700 people who were protesting Moscow’s decision to launch a massive evacuation in Ukraine on Thursday, a move that has sparked international condemnation. According to AFP, about 1,000 people gathered in Saint Petersburg, the former imperial capital, on Thursday, while thousands assembled near Pushkin Square in central Moscow. “No to war!” protesters chanted in Pushkin Square.
“I’m taken aback. Ukraine is home to many of my relatives and dear ones,” Anastasia Nestulya, an AFP correspondent in Moscow, said on Thursday. “What can I say to them on the phone? You’re sticking with it?” She went on to say that people are scared to protest.
In Saint Petersburg, on the other hand, masked police officers were seen coercively pulling protesters to detain them. Protesters also called for Putin’s arrest. “I have a feeling the authorities have gone insane,” Svetlana Volkova told Reuters on Thursday, adding that people had been duped by propaganda. Apart from locals, imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who’s been the biggest critic of Vladimir Putin and his governance, has stated his opposition to the invasion of Ukraine.
“This war among both Russia and Ukraine was launched to cover up stealing from Russian citizens and shift their focus away from domestic problems,” Navalny continued. Russia’s all-out assault on Ukraine, which began on Thursday, has resulted in 137 deaths and over 350 injuries.
The Russian military launched a series of missile strikes on cities, as well as key government and military installations, to begin the attack. Thousands of people sought refuge in subway stations that increased as bomb shelters in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Thousands of civilians have managed to flee Ukraine, mostly to Moldova and Romania.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been disregarding global condemnation, particularly from the West, has justified his actions against Ukraine and warned that any country that interferes will face “never seen before consequences.”
