Hundreds of Russians have reportedly been arrested for protesting the current invasion of Ukraine.
Anti-war protests are said to have taken place in 40 different Russian cities today, February 24.
According to reports, around '900 arrests' were said to be made as citizens across Russia protested president Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.
Footage of the protests were shared to social media, with protests occurring in St. Petersburg. There were also protests believed to be held in Moscow's Pushkin Square, with protesters being detained by police and the square having since been closed off by authorities.
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Posters held by protesters read 'No to War!' along with other anti-war messages.
According to journalist Alejandro Alvarez, the 'Russian national guard [sic] moving in on throngs of protesters in Moscow', with riot police said to be 'grabbing protesters with antiwar banners'
Russian authorities warned citizens not to participate in the anti-war protests today, threatening prosecution and criminal charges.
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Russia's Investigative Committee said in a statement today: 'In connection with the spread of calls for participation in riots and rallies related to the tense foreign policy situation... negative legal consequences of these actions, which include prosecution and up to criminal liability'.
The committee added: 'It should be remembered that holding a criminal record holds negative consequences and leaves a mark on the person’s future'.
Anti-war protests are said to have been muted by the Kremlin for years, as per the Telegraph.
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In one instance, police were said to have shown up within minutes of Mikhail Leipunsky, an interior designer, holding an anti-war poster in Pushkin Square on Wednesday, 23 February, a day before the Russian invasion took place.
Speaking of his demonstration, Leipunsky said: 'This is the only form of protest I have. Those people don’t represent me and they made a decision for me…It made me feel so hopeless'.
Anti-war protests aren't just occurring in Russia, but across the world, with several major US cities demonstrating to pressure Putin to halt his invasion of Ukraine.
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One protest was said to have occurred as early as 1.00am this morning outside of the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C, with protesters in the capital waving Ukrainian flags and chanting 'stop Russia aggression'.
Russia invaded Ukraine early this morning, with two sets of missile strikes occurring throughout the country. Over 200 attacks have ensued throughout the day.
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Topics: no-article-matching, Russia, Ukraine, World News, Vladimir Putin
