- Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine there have been thousands of arrests of activists and protesters.
File image of police officers detaining a protester during a demonstration against the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
More than 50 people have been arrested in Russia during the day of protests this Sunday against the war in Ukraine, including political activists, journalists, and citizens, according to the civil organization OVD-Info.
The mass arrests have occurred due to information circulating on various Telegram channels about a protest against the war in Ukraine, which was supposed to take place in the center of Moscow on June 12, Russia Day, as reported by informed the Russian radio station Svoboda.
Most of the arrests have been carried out in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, according to OVD-Info. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, thousands of activists and protesters have been arrested, some simply for showing a blank piece of paper.
The authorities approved a law that punishes the dissemination of false information about the activity of the Armed Forces with up to 15 years in prison.