Russian protests in pictures: 'I don’t want to die for Putin!'

Over 1,300 arrests in a single day
Arrests in Moscow and St. Petersburg
Over 1,000 arrests in two cities
Hitting the streets
'No mobilization'
'I don't want to die for Putin'
(No) right to protest
Over 16,500 detained
Can't say a bad thing about the Russian Army...
Up to 15 years for protesting
Press-ganged
What's Russian for 'Cannon fodder'?
Democracy, Putin-style
Your civic duty, whether you like it or not
The official version
Losing control
Over 1,300 arrests in a single day

More than 1,300 people were arrested in a single day in Russia for protesting the war after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ‘partial mobilization’ to increase the number of troops in Ukraine, according to Russian human rights groups OVD-Info.

Arrests in Moscow and St. Petersburg

CNN cites OVD-Info’s report of protests in at least 38 Russian cities, including major urban centers such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Over 1,000 arrests in two cities

OVD-Info highlights that at least 500 people have been arrested in Moscow, with a similar number in St. Petersburg.

Hitting the streets

The New York Times writes that in Moscow demonstrators gathered in the Old Arbat, a well-known pedestrian street in the Russian capital.

'No mobilization'

Meanwhile, CNN reports that the government curtailed a crowd of protestors in front of St. Petersburg’s Saint Isaac Cathedral chanting “No mobilization”.

'I don't want to die for Putin'

According to The New York Times, a man from Novosibirsk was taken away by police officers after yelling at them: “I don’t want to die for Putin and for you.”

(No) right to protest

The Guardian points out that unsanctioned rallies are illegal in Russia, giving local authorities the perfect excuse to break up these demonstrations.

Over 16,500 detained

The New York Times cites OVD-Info’s claim that around 16,500 people had been detained for protesting the war in Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022.

Pictured: A protester detained in front of the Kremlin in March 2022.

Can't say a bad thing about the Russian Army...

Since March, disseminating “false information” about the war or that “discredits the Russian army” is also considered a criminal offense.

Up to 15 years for protesting

Russia’s General Prosecutor Office, the New York Times writes, has stated that protesters could get up to 15 years in prison.

Press-ganged

Not only that, an OVD-Info spokeswoman told CNN that some protesters were being directly drafted into the Russian military in at least four police stations in Moscow.

What's Russian for 'Cannon fodder'?

BBC reported that a partial mobilization would mean that some 300,000 military reservists, but not conscripts, would go to Ukraine and bolster Russia’s faltering military.

Democracy, Putin-style

Around the same time, territories occupied by Russian troops will hold a referendum on whether they wanted to be annexed by the Moscow government. Most of the international community has put into question the legality of these referendums.

Your civic duty, whether you like it or not

CNN informs that the decree not only applies to the military reserves. It calls up all the “citizens of the Russian Federation for military service by mobilization into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

The official version

The response by the Russian government has been swift. A statement from the Ministry of Interior, quoted by The Guardian, declared that small groups of protests had been stopped.

Losing control

However, with Western news outlets reporting Russian citizens fleeing the country after the call for mobilization, it’s hard to say how much of a grip the Kremlin has on the situation.

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