A courage that does not fade despite the massive arrests and the long sentences incurred... More than 800 people demonstrating on Sunday against the Russian military operation in Ukraine were arrested across 37 cities in Russia, according to the NGO OVD-Info, specializing in monitoring events.
AFP journalists saw several demonstrators being brutally arrested in Moscow and Saint Petersburg (north-west), the country's second largest city.
100 protesters and a journalist arrested in Moscow
In the capital, a few dozen people had defied the ban on demonstrations by gathering on Manège Square, near the Kremlin.
At least 100 demonstrators and a journalist were taken away by police, according to an AFP correspondent on the spot.
" Peace in the world !
chanted a woman as she was dragged away by two officers.
Several police officers had drawn the letter “Z” on their helmets, a sign of recognition expressing support for the Russian soldiers deployed in Ukraine.
At the start of the evening, the Ministry of the Interior indicated that nearly 300 people had been arrested in the capital for “various violations of public order”, specifying that legal proceedings were envisaged against them.
In Saint Petersburg, where many police buses were visible in the center, the demonstrators tried to be discreet.
According to OVD-Info, at least 156 people were still arrested there during the day.
"Of course it's scary to go out"
Kristina, 20, came dressed in a blue jacket and a yellow hat, the colors of Ukraine, in order, according to her, to “protest in one way or another”.
“Of course it's scary to go out (protest).
Everyone is taken away, several of my friends have been arrested, others have been expelled from university,” she told AFP.
A passer-by, in her sixties, shouted at one point against the demonstrators: “You are all traitors, we should all arrest you!
»
Despite the ban, pacifists gather daily in Russia to denounce the military intervention in Ukraine.
Although their number is limited, the mere holding of these gatherings is notable, so strong is the repression.
Nearly 15,000 people arrested in Russia
Those who demonstrate routinely face fines and even long prison sentences depending on the charges against them.
In all, since February 24, at least 14,700 people have been arrested in Russia during demonstrations against the conflict, according to OVD-Info.
Last Sunday alone, more than 5,000 demonstrators were arrested, a figure of unprecedented magnitude for a single day.
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