In the three years since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 20,000 people in Russia have been detained for their anti-war stance, according to figures released by the independent human rights organization OVD-Info.

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In the three years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 20,000 people in Russia have been detained for their anti-war stance, according to figures released by the independent human rights organization OVD-Info.

In 2022 alone, over 18,900 people were detained during public anti-war protests against military actions and mobilization — the mass conscription of men into Russia’s armed forces announced by Vladimir Putin in September that year.

In 2023, Russian security forces detained an additional 274 individuals, followed by 41 more in 2024. Over the same period, there were 856 instances of detentions linked to the public display of anti-war symbols.

Some Russians have been detained multiple times. These include 79-year-old St. Petersburg artist Elena Osipova, who has repeatedly staged solo protests against the war in her hometown.

In certain cases, activists have faced additional pressure from the state following their detention. For example, at the end of 2023, officers from the Center for Combating Extremism (also known as Center “E”) detained activist Dmitry Kuzmin, who had already been expelled twice from university for his anti-war stance. After his arrest, police attempted to serve him a military draft notice while he was in custody at the police station.

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  • GloriaEnglish
    4·
    6 hours ago

    What a fucked up country. There is no sign, no word, no sentence I could say in my country, that would bring me to jail. Nothing. I could say my President is the biggest loser and sucks cock all day. I could draw a picture of him or create a video… nothing would happen to me. But since the 2011 Demonstrations in Moscow, Putin cracks down even on the youth and elders. Every opposition to the state view is crushed imidiatly. Putin feels that his power is that fragile.

    If only my country would crack down that hard on russian propaganda. These bastards have protest and waived their flags in my country without any repercussion. If I would unroll my EU Flag in the red square, you would not see me again.

    Putin is such a pathetic loser.