Hundreds arrested as Russians turn to streets to protest Ukraine invasion

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Over 750 people arrested across Russia for protesting against Ukraine invasion

Feb 25, 2022: According to a report by Al Jazeera, as the emotional calls for protest on social media increased, thousands of Russians have come out to protest their country’s invasion of Ukraine.

As many as 1,745 people were arrested in 54 Russian cities on Thursday, with at least 957 in Moscow. As sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and loud explosions were heard there and in other cities, Russians were signing open letters and online petitions calling on the Kremlin to stop the attack. At least 137 Ukrainians have been killed and dozens injured since the onslaught, the Ukrainian president has said. 

The petition, initiated by Lev Ponyamavyov, a prominent human rights lawyer, received more than 330,000 signatures by the end of the day.

More than 250 journalists put their names on an open letter decrying the aggression. Another one was signed by some 250 scientists, while 194 municipal council members in Moscow and other cities signed a third one.

Civil society members, celebrities and publiv figures also joined the protest. Yelena Kovalskaya, director of a state-funded Moscow theatre, announced on Facebook she was quitting her job, saying “it’s impossible to work for a killer and get paid by him”.

Hundreds also took to the streets in St Petersburg and dozens in Yekaterinburg.

Russia’s Investigative Committee issued a warning yesterday afternoon, reminding citizens that unauthorized demonstrations are against the law. Roskomnadzor, the state communications and media watchdog, demanded that the Russian media use “information and data obtained only from official Russian sources”. Some media outlets have reported that employees of some government-funded companies have been instructed not to comment publicly on events in Ukraine.

Despite pressure from authorities, more than 1,000 people gathered in central Moscow on Thursday evening, shouting “No war! as passing cars honked their horns.

The parliament speaker for the upper house, Valentina Matviyenko, dismissed the protesters saying, those who spoke out against the attack were only caring about their “momentary problems”.

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