Thousands demonstrate in Russia against Ukraine war - More than 1700 arrests

Thousands demonstrate in Russia against Ukraine war - More than 1700 arrests Status: 02/25/2022 According to civil rights activists, more than 1,700 people have been arrested in 53 Russian cities during protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. WELT reporter Christoph Wanner reports from Moscow. WORLD Thousands of people have protested in Russia against the Russian army's attack on Ukraine. Security forces took action against the demonstrations. Civil rights activists speak of more than 1,700 arrests. Anti-war rallies were also held in other European cities. advertisement According to civil rights activists, more than 1,700 people have been arrested in 53 Russian cities during protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The civil rights portal Owd-Info, which documents arrests during political protests, reported that 940 arrests were made in the capital Moscow alone. Thousands came to the rallies to protest President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade troops into the neighboring country. Numerous Russians also condemned the most aggressive military action by Moscow since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Video footage showed people in the Russian capital marching through the city to take a stand against the war. Security forces took action against the demonstrators. There was also a protest in St. Petersburg – and arrests. People in St. Petersburg demonstrate against the war A petition by human rights activist Lev Ponomavyov against the war had 289,000 supporters by Thursday evening. More than 250 Russian journalists signed an open letter in which they took a stand against the invasion. Similar letters were also received from 250 scientists and from local councils in Moscow and other cities. In Berlin on Thursday evening, people again protested in front of the Brandenburg Gate against the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. By early evening, around 1,500 people had gathered on Pariser Platz, where the French and US embassies are also located. As on the previous evening, the Brandenburg Gate was to be illuminated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag after sunset out of solidarity. The rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Participants carry white-red-white flags, a sign of the Belarusian democracy movement Several demonstrations against the Russian invasion had already taken place in Berlin during the day. Among other things, around 1,000 people gathered in front of the Chancellery in the afternoon, including numerous exiled Ukrainians who waved the blue and yellow flag. People had also gathered in front of the Ukrainian and Russian embassies and in front of the Brandenburg Gate to protest against the invasion of Russia. "Stop Putin" Thousands of people have also gathered in several Czech cities for rallies of solidarity with the ex-Soviet republic. In Prague, around 3,000 demonstrators gathered on Wenceslas Square in the city center on Thursday evening. They held up banners such as "Stop Putin" and "We will not give up on Ukraine". Around 2,000 people gathered in front of the Russian embassy in the diplomatic district of Bubenec to protest against the war. They sang the Ukrainian national anthem and protest songs from the time of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. According to the CTK agency, the police temporarily arrested two activists who had daubed red paint on an embassy wall. Spontaneous rallies also took place in other cities, including Brno, Ostrava and Olomouc. In Znojmo, activists covered a statue of a Red Army soldier commemorating World War II with a Ukrainian flag. Various churches called for prayers. Ukraine is less than 400 kilometers away from the Czech Republic.