Russia Imprisons Nearly 1700 Anti-War Protesters

More than 1,700 people have been jailed in Russia as a result of protests over Moscow’s decision to initiate a full-scale evacuation of Ukraine on Thursday, a move that has sparked international outrage. Approximately 1,000 demonstrators protested in Saint Petersburg, the historic imperial capital, on Thursday, according to AFP, while tens of thousands rallied in Pushkin Square in Moscow’s capital. “No to war!” screamed protesters in Pushkin Square.

Masked police officers, on the other hand, were observed dragging demonstrators to detention in Saint Petersburg. Protesters also demanded Putin’s resignation. “I think the government have gone insane,” Svetlana Volkova told Reporters on Thursday, claiming that the population had been fooled by misinformation. Apart from the locals, Alexei Navalny, the jailed opposition leader who has been the toughest opponent of Vladimir Putin and his administration, has spoken out against the invasion of Ukraine.

How this situation occur?

Photo from the ongoing anti-war protest in Russia.

137 people have died as a result of Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine, which began on Thursday. Over 350 people have been injured.

To begin the attack, the Russian military carried out a series of missile launches targeting cities, as well as important political and military objectives. Thousands of people took shelter in metro stations that functioned as bomb shelters in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city.

Thousands of people have also fled Ukraine, the majority of whom have made their homes in Moldova and Romania.

Putin has justified his actions against Ukraine, despite international condemnation, particularly from the West, and warned that any country that interferes will face “never seen before consequences.”