A demonstrator is arrested in Moscow
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Russian police arrested more than 1,800 anti-war protestors across the country yesterday, according to an independent monitoring group.
Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday morning, with soldiers taking control of Chernobyl and launching attacks on Kharkiv, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Mariupol.
Troops were advancing to the capital Kyiv on Friday with fears the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky could be killed.
The invasion has already led to hundreds of deaths sparking outrage in Russia and around the world.
OVD-Info said “at least 1,817 people were detained yesterday at anti-war protests in 58 Russian cities”.
At least 1817 people were detained yesterday at anti-war protests in 58 Russian cities. The list of detainees is available in Russian at our website: https://t.co/FtbQWkof1Z pic.twitter.com/Gyq0dBC7nR
— ОВД-Инфо (@OvdInfo) February 25, 2022
There were at least 1,011 arrests in Moscow alone, the group which tracks arrests at opposition rallies, said.
Demonstrators took to cities, including Moscow and St Petersburg, to chant “No to war!” and show solidarity with Ukraine.
Russian troops had advanced to the “suburbs” of Kyiv by Friday with gunfire heard near the government quarter.
Ukrainian defence forces have urged locals to make Molotov cocktails to target the advancing troops
There has been widespread condemnation of the invasion.
A petition by human rights advocate Lev Ponomavyov has received more than 330,000 signatures within hours of being set up.
More than 250 journalists supported an open letter denouncing the invasion, and another letter was signed by around 250 scientists calling for the violence to cease.
Russian celebrities have also used their platforms to condemn the military offensive.
The Kremlin controls vast swathes of Russia’s popular culture by filtering access to the main television networks it controls.
It means anyone who speaks out against Putin is threatening their career.
Despite this pop stars, late-night television hosts and Russian chess grandmasters have been posting black squares to their social media accounts in protest of the war.
At least 137 Ukrainians have been killed so far with an estimated 450 Russian soldiers also losing their lives.
The Kremlin has said it is ready for talks with Ukraine in Minsk, Belarus but many fear Kyiv could fall into the hands of Russian forces within the next few days.
Protests have erupted across the world including in New York, London and Tel Aviv as people take to the streets to demonstrate against the war.
