2,700 Russians detained over anti-war protests since Thursday

More than 2,700 Russians have been detained for participating in anti-war protests since the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, according to independent protest monitoring site OVD-Info.

In a statement on Saturday, OVD-Info said at least 1,370 of the protesters were detained in Moscow alone, while the protests have been ongoing in at least 27 cities.

Shortly after President Vladimir Putin had given the all clear for Russia to invade Ukraine, the country’s Investigative Committee warned that participation in any anti-war protest was illegal and offenders would be dealt with seriously.

The Committee also said that offenses could be entered on participants’ criminal records which would “leave a mark on the person’s future.”

“By 1939 GMT on Friday, police had detained 1,667 people at rallies in 53 cities, which was easily the biggest rally since last year’s crushing of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s network ushered in an ice age in activism.

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“Protesters, including Russian pop stars, journalists, a television comedian and a footballer opposed the war after President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday.

“They defied a warning issued on Thursday by the Investigative Committee, a kind of Russian answer to the FBI, that explicitly threatened criminal action and even jail time for people calling for or taking part in protests,” the OVD-Info said.

“Hundreds of people rallied in cities including Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, chanting slogans like “no to war!” and holding up makeshift signs. One person waved a Ukrainian flag,” it added.

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