(Saint-Petersburg) A few thousand people again defied the ban on demonstrations in Russia on Sunday to say “no to war” in Ukraine, rallies which led to more than 2,000 arrests, according to an NGO.
Posted at 1:06 p.m.
According to the specialized NGO OVD-Info, 2,114 demonstrators have been arrested in Russia, bringing to 5,250 the number of people arrested since Thursday for protesting against the invasion of Ukraine by the Moscow army. .
In Saint Petersburg, the second largest city in the country, around 400 people gathered in a central square to express their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine ordered by Vladimir Putin, noted a journalist from Agence France-Presse.
“I am against war. I was born in 1941, I know what it is, ”said Valéria Andreeva, retired.
“We are only hundreds or thousands, not millions, it’s a shame. I’m not sure our gathering will change anything, but it’s already something,” added Vladimir Volokhonov, a 35-year-old engineer holding a bouquet of blue and yellow flowers, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Gatherings in forty cities
Rallies also took place in Moscow, the capital, and some 40 other cities across the country.
These daily gatherings are relatively modest in size, but their mere holding is notable, as civil society has been eroded by repression in Russia.
The slightest unauthorized demonstration immediately gives rise to a police intervention, and the simple fact of standing alone in the street with a sign can be worth an arrest.