Opposition appears to be growing in Russia to the carnage in Ukraine and not just among its civilian population.
Disquiet is spreading through some of the countries politicians with one Communist MP, Mikhail Matveev saying outright: ‘I think that the war should be stopped immediately.
Matveev is a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) which sits in opposition to President Putin and the United Russia party.
‘When I voted for the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), I voted for peace, not for war,’ Matveev said
‘For Russia to become a shield, so that the Donbas was not bombed, but not for Kyiv to be bombed.’
Ukraine regards both the DPR and LPR as terrorist organizations. The Republics are located in the historical Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine.
Communist MP Mikhail Matveev said: ‘I think that the war should be stopped immediately.’
President Zelensky , pictured, had warned that the Russians intend to take Kyiv overnight, urging his countrymen to resist the expected onslaught as Western officials said the city appeared to be surrounded with Putin’s troops moving ever closer
ST. PETERSBURG: Demonstrators shout slogans in St. Petersburg, Russia. Shocked Russians turned out by the thousand to decry their country’s invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow
ST. PETERSBURG: Police officers detain demonstrators in St. Petersburg, Russia. Similar protests took place in other Russian cities, and activists were also arrested
ST. PETERSBURG: Police officers detain a woman in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday
MOSCOW: Police officers detain a woman in Moscow, Russia, where at least 957 arrests were made
ST. PETERSBURG: Police officers detain a man in St. Petersburg, Russia on Friday
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky may discuss with Russia neutral status and security guarantees for Ukraine, said Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the Ukrainian leader’s chief of staff .
‘It will be, first of all, a detailed conversation about peace and ceasefire,’ he said.
‘A neutral status with a clear package of security guarantees is an option that will probably also be on the table.’
President Zelensky had warned that the Russians intend to take Kyiv overnight, urging his countrymen to resist the expected onslaught as Western officials said the city appeared to be surrounded with Putin’s troops moving ever closer.
Zelensky, addressing the nation from a secret location in the capital, had a dire warning for his embattled and defiant people on Friday night.
‘Russia will try to break our resistance with all its might,’ he said, in a video posted to social media. ‘Tonight the enemy will begin storming us. We need to withstand them!’
The United States had offered to evacuate Zelensky and his family, but the president is refusing to leave. On Thursday evening he told the country he was aware that he was ‘target number one’ for Russian assassins, but he and his family would not being going anywhere.
MOSCOW: Police officers detain a woman during a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Moscow on February 24, 2022. Protests broke out in Moscow tonight in solidarity with similar demonstrations across Europe today as the global outcry against Russian president Vladimir Putin ‘s invasion of Ukraine grew louder amid the unfolding crisis
MOSCOW: A person carries a banner during an anti-war protest, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia February 24, 2022
MOSCOW: Police officers detain a man during a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Moscow on February 24, 2022
In Russia, President Putin has cracked down on citizens calling for peace, with authorities warning protestors they could face ‘treason’ charges as more than 1,700 demonstrators were detained after showing solidarity with global protestors.
Rarely seen protests against Russian president Vladimir Putin broke out in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as the global outcry against the Russian strongman grew louder.
Pictures showed officers physically picking up protesters and dragging them away from the demonstrations, which are rare in the authoritarian country which does not tolerate dissent against the Kremlin.
Russian police have detained more than 1,700 people at anti-war protests across Russia after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine, an independent monitor said Thursday.
Some 1,702 people in 53 Russian cities were detained, at least 940 of them in Moscow and over 340 people in the second-largest city Saint Petersburg, according to OVD-Info, which tracks arrests at opposition rallies.
ST PETERSBURG: Huge crowds of people gathered to attend an anti-war protest on Thursday night, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in Ukraine
MOSCOW: Police officers in masks detain a woman during a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Moscow
MOSCOW: A man is detained by three police officers on Thursday night at an anti-war protest
ST PETERSBURG: Police officers detain a demonstrator during an anti-war protest, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russians are understood to have been warned by authorities that any ‘negative comments’ about Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine would be treated as ‘treason’.
Makar Zadorozhny, a Moscow actor, published a letter from his theatre’s administration, which warned employees against voicing negative opinions on the conflict.
The letter, which said it had been informed by the culture department, read: ‘Negative comments will be treated as treason.’
It comes after human rights advocates warned of a new wave of repression on dissent in Russia as protests got underway.
‘There will be new (criminal) cases involving subverters, spies, treason, prosecution for antiwar protests, there will be detentions of journalists and bloggers, those who authored critical posts on social media, bans on investigations of the situation in the army and so on,’ prominent human rights advocate Pavel Chikov wrote on Facebook.
‘It is hard to say how big this new wave will be, given that everything has been suppressed already.’
On Friday, more than 150 senior Russian officials signed an open letter condemning Putin’s invasion as ‘an unprecedented atrocity’ and warning of ‘catastrophic consequences’.
The deputies said they were ‘convinced’ Russian citizens do not back the war and blamed Putin ‘personally’ for ordering troops into Ukraine in an attack ‘for which there is no and cannot be justification’.
ST PETERSBURG: Demonstrators shout slogans as they gathered on Thursday to protest against Russia’s attack on Ukraine
MOSCOW: Police officers drag a protester towards a police van in Moscow on Thursday night amid anti-war demonstrations
MOSCOW: Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Several Russian celebrities and public figures, including those working with state TV, have spoken out against the attack as well.
Yelena Kovalskaya, director of a state-funded Moscow theatre, announced on Facebook she was quitting her job, saying ‘it’s impossible to work for a killer and get paid by him’.
Earlier, a Russian opposition activist who called for anti-war protests told Reuters that she had been detained by police amid global protests against the invasion.
‘I was detained on my way out of the house,’ Marina Litvinovich, the Moscow-based activist, wrote on Telegram. She confirmed her detention separately in a message to Reuters.
Litvinovich called on Russians earlier to gather in protest in various Russian cities on Thursday evening.
She also said in a video statement on Facebook: ‘I know that right now many of you feel desperation, helplessness, shame over Vladimir Putin’s attack on the friendly nation of Ukraine. But I urge you not to despair.’
‘We, the Russian people, are against the war Putin has unleashed. We don’t support this war, it is being waged not on our behalf,’ she added.
SAINT PETERSBURG: Armored police gather in a square near demonstrators during an anti-war protest on Thursday night
SAINT PETERSBURG: Police officers detain a woman during a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in central Saint Petersburg on February 24, 2022
SAINT PETERSBURG: Riot police are seen during an unsanctioned anti-war protest
ST PETERSBURG: Demonstrators are seen during an unsanctioned anti-war protest after Putin announced his decision to launch a special military operation
Yelena Kovalskaya, director of a state-funded Moscow theatre, announced on Facebook she was quitting her job, saying ‘it’s impossible to work for a killer and get paid by him’.
Earlier, a Russian opposition activist who called for anti-war protests told Reuters that she had been detained by police amid global protests against the invasion.
‘I was detained on my way out of the house,’ Marina Litvinovich, the Moscow-based activist, wrote on Telegram. She confirmed her detention separately in a message to Reuters.
Litvinovich called on Russians earlier to gather in protest in various Russian cities on Thursday evening.
She also said in a video statement on Facebook: ‘I know that right now many of you feel desperation, helplessness, shame over Vladimir Putin’s attack on the friendly nation of Ukraine. But I urge you not to despair.’
‘We, the Russian people, are against the war Putin has unleashed. We don’t support this war, it is being waged not on our behalf,’ she added.
