The repression is even harsher. At least 4,640 protesters against the military intervention in Ukraine were arrested this Sunday in 65 of Russia, said the NGO OVD-Info, which specializes in monitoring demonstrations.
Despite intimidation from the authorities and the threat of heavy prison sentences, protest actions, albeit limited, have taken place daily for 11 days in different cities of the country.
Daily demonstrations
Imprisoned opponent Alexei Navalny, a staunch opponent of the conflict, this week called on Russians to meet every day in their city’s main square to demand peace in Ukraine. Some 1,700 people were arrested in Moscow alone on Sunday, police said. According to OVD-Info, one of the leaders of the Memorial NGO, Oleg Orlov, and well-known activist Svetlana Gannouchkina are among them.
According to this source, nearly 11,000 demonstrators have been arrested in the country since February 24, the date of the start of military operations. Despite intimidation from the authorities and the threat of prison sentences, protest actions, albeit limited, have taken place every day for 10 days in different cities of the country.
Russian and foreign media suspend their activities
Sunday, the first arrests took place, time difference obliges, in the Far East and in Siberia. According to OVD-Info, more than 200 people were arrested in particular in the large cities of Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. Actions are also underway in Moscow, where police have been deployed in the center. The human rights NGO Memorial said that one of its leaders, Oleg Orlov, had been arrested on Manege Square, next to the Kremlin. One of the central squares of Saint Petersburg (north) was cordoned off by the police, who were making arrests.
To deter any criticism of the conflict, the Russian authorities adopted on Friday at a run a new law repressing “false information” on the activities of the Russian army in Ukraine. According to this text, the penalties incurred range from fines to 15 years in prison. In the process, Russian and foreign media announced that they were suspending their activities in Russia.