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Relatives of soldiers fighting in Ukraine in Moscow at the end of January
Photo:
AFP
At least 20 journalists were arrested and forced into police cars during a demonstration by wives and partners of Russian soldiers in Moscow. The officers specifically targeted men, as SPIEGEL correspondent Christina Lever observed on site. Among the men taken to a nearby police station was a photographer who worked for SPIEGEL.
The AFP news agency also reports that a video journalist was arrested and was able to report from a police car.
There have been demonstrations in Russia for several weeks by relatives of conscripted men and soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Dozens of women regularly travel to Moscow from other cities across the country to gather at the Kremlin wall in Red Square or to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This Saturday, on the occasion of 500 days of mobilization in the center of the Russian capital, women demanded the return of their men from the front.
Since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has further restricted media freedom and increased repression against the opposition.
Read here what SPIEGEL correspondent Christina Lever writes about her everyday life in Moscow: How can you still work as a journalist in Russia?
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