On February 24, opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s long-feared invasion of Ukraine signed open letters and took to the streets of Russia to protest the ongoing air and ground assault, resulting in nearly 2,000 arrests.
OVD-Info, an independent human rights group in Russia, has been keeping a running tally of arrests made in Russia since the Ukraine invasion. The organization reported a jump from 1,000 total arrests at 1 p.m. on February 24 to 1,746 two hours later.
The arrests took place in forty-seven cities across the nation, The Washington Post reports.
Putin announced the attack on state TV in Russia the night of February 23, claiming the assault is intended to protect civilians.
During a court hearing on Thursday, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny spoke out against the war, while members of the Russian political elite either remained silent or celebrated, The Post said.
Navalny, a long-time adversary of Putin, has been charged with fraud and contempt of court. His supporters claim the case is a Kremlin attempt to keep the anti-corruption crusader in prison for as long as possible. Navalny’s trial started on February 15, according to the BBC.
Per Fox News, videos shared online showed large swaths of protesters in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia’s capital. Crowds chanting “No War” marched through Moscow’s central district.
“[Putin] must stop it,” a Russian protester told Global News. “What should we do about it? I don’t know. The only thing we can do is say that we disagree.”
“We believe the conflict must be resolved peacefully without violence from either side,” said another protester.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation released an announcement stating that “mass media, the Internet, and social networks are spreading calls to participate in mass riots and rallies associated with the tense foreign policy situation.”
U.S. President Joe Biden announced new sanctions against Russia on February 24, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has much larger ambitions in Ukraine,” during a speech on February 24.
“In fact, he wants to restore the former Soviet Union,” Biden said.
According to Newsweek, Ukrainians awoke on February 24 to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling them their country was at war.
“Russia began an attack on Ukraine today,” he said. “Putin declared war on Ukraine, as well as the entire democratic world. He intends to destabilize my country.”
Members of the United Nations Security Council pleaded for peace during an emergency meeting on the night of February 23.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that he had previously spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and promised sanctions against Russia. He called the invasion an “attack on democracy and the free world.”
Demonstrations in support of Ukraine were held in locations around the world, including Times Square in New York City.
Crowds of demonstrators, including Ukrainians, gathered outside the prime minister’s office in central London to show their support for Ukraine.
In Paris, France, and Berlin, Germany, pro-Ukrainian protesters demonstrated outside Russian embassies. In Dublin, Ireland, the Russian coat of arms outside the Russian embassy was covered in red paint on Thursday.
Crowds also gathered outside the Russian Consulate General in Edinburgh, Scotland, for a “Stand with Ukraine” public demonstration.
According to ABC News, the Ukraine health minister said fifty-seven Ukrainians were killed in the invasion, and 169 more were injured. It is unclear how many of the victims were civilians.
