Russian police have on Thursday made at least 1,000 arrests as citizens all across Russia protested against president Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine, the OVD-Info protest monitor said.
Anti-war protests have taken place in 40 different Russian cities on Thursday, according to OVD-Info.
Footage of protests in Putin's hometown city of St. Petersburg also surfaced on social media on Thursday.
❗️St. #Petersburg now pic.twitter.com/ppYjyPWVhe
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 24, 2022
In Moscow's Pushkin Square, Russian citizens were detained by police after demonstrating with posters reading "No to War!" and other anti-Putin messages at the central Moscow square, which has been closed off by police.
Multiple arrests in central Moscow this afternoon as people come out with posters reading “No to War!” The central Pushkin Square has now been blocked off by police. pic.twitter.com/2Wy9Vt6yWF
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) February 24, 2022
The OVD-Info monitor has documented crackdowns on Russia's opposition for years.
Anti-war protests are planned across the world and in several major US cities, with the aim of pressuring Putin to halt a missile and troop assault as US President Joe Biden maps out his response.
The earliest known protest occurred outside Russia's embassy in Washington around 1 a.m. EST on Thursday, shortly after news broke that Russian forces had launched a massive attack against its neighbor. Local news reports showed dozens of protesters in the US capital waving Ukrainian flags and chanting "stop Russian aggression."