More than 250 detained across Russia in protests against Ukraine invasion
Demonstrations held in over 20 cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, with some riot police seen with ‘Z’ on their helmets, a symbol of support for the military action
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MOSCOW, Russia — Russia detained more than 250 people on Sunday for protesting Moscow’s “military operation” in Ukraine, as the conflict continues for a third week.
OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during protests, said police had detained 268 people during demonstrations in 23 Russian cities.
An AFP journalist present at a protest in the capital Moscow witnessed at least a dozen arrests and said police were taking away anybody without press papers.
A young woman was shouting “peace to the world” as she was taken away by two policemen, the journalist saw.
Some of the riot police had the letter “Z” in the colors of the Russian flag on their helmets, the AFP reporter said.
The letter, seen on Russian tanks and vehicles in Ukraine, has become a symbol of support for what Moscow calls its “special military operation.”
In Saint Petersburg, AFP saw multiple arrests, including a protester being dragged across the ground. The city’s central Nevsky Avenue was closed off by police with a dozen police vans parked along the road. According to AFP, several journalists were detained.
They may be out of the headlines but Russia-wide protests against the war haven’t stopped. Neither have the arrests. This is Yekaterinburg today – peaceful rallies already happening in multiple Siberian cities, and soon beginning in Moscow and St Petersburg. pic.twitter.com/EXR0Lz1647
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) March 13, 2022
Dressed in a yellow hat and blue jacket, 20-year-old Kristina said she was “expressing her protest” by wearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
“It’s scary to go outside, of course. They are detaining everyone. Many of my friends have been detained in the past few days. Some were even expelled from university,” she told AFP.
Last weekend, police arrested more than 5,000 protesters across Russia.
Protesters risk fines and possible prison sentences by taking to the streets.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian nationals in Taiwan and supporters staged a march Sunday in Taipei to protest the Russian invasion.
Tens of thousands of people were also expected to gather in cities across Europe to protest against the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Trade unions called a protest in Berlin where sunny weather was expected to boost the turnout. Organizers planned to march from the city’s Alexanderplatz — a large square named after Russian Tsar Alexander I — to a site near the Brandenburg Gate.
Protests were also planned in Warsaw, London, Madrid, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
The Times of Israel Community.