Russia detained more than 5,000 people protesting President Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine in dozens of cities Sunday – an unprecedented number as Moscow clamps down on anyone opposing the Kremlin's military assault on the country.
A person is detained during an anti-war protest, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, March 6, 2022.
That is an unprecedented number for a single day and far higher than arrests made during a wave of protests that broke out in the country last year when opposition leader Alexei Navalny was imprisoned.
Law enforcement officers are seen in central Moscow as demonstrators stage an unsanctioned protest against the invasion of Ukraine, March 6, 2022.
Navalny has called on Russians to protest the war in an appeal from his prison cell. Protesters risk possible prison sentences by taking to the streets.
A man gestures in a bus after he was detained during an anti-war protest, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, March 6, 2022.
OVD-info said 2,394 had been arrested in Moscow. Saint Petersburg saw at least 1,253 arrests, the monitor said. Protests also took place in small cities in the Russian regions.
Law enforcement officers gather during an anti-war protest, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, March 6, 2022.
Anti-war protests in Russia have continued despite warnings from authorities and risks of prison sentences. To further stifle criticism, Putin on Friday signed into law a bill that introduces jail terms of up to 15 years for fake news about the Russian army.
A person is detained during an anti-war protest, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, March 6, 2022.
The bill stipulates jail terms of varying lengths and fines against people who publish "knowingly false information" about the military, with harsher penalties to hit when dissemination is deemed to have serious consequences.
A person is detained during an anti-war protest, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, March 6, 2022.
Putin also signed a bill that would allow fines or jail terms of up to three years for calling for sanctions against Russia with Moscow facing harsh economic penalties from Western capitals over the invasion.
A law enforcement officer talks with a man during an anti-war protest, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, March 6, 2022.
