Police in Russia arrested nearly 1,400 people at anti-war protests staged in cities across the country.
More than 700 people were arrested in Moscow and about 340 people in the second largest city Saint Petersburg.
In Moscow, protesters were seen massing around Pushkin Square chanting “No to war!”
One petition, started by a prominent human rights advocate, Lev Ponomavyov, garnered over 150,000 signatures within several hours and 289,000 by the end of the day.
More than 250 journalists put their names on an open letter decrying the aggression.
Another one was signed by some 250 scientists, while 194 municipal council members in Moscow and other cities signed a third.
Several Russian celebrities and public figures, including some working for state TV, spoke out against the attack. Yelena Kovalskaya, director of a state-funded Moscow theater, announced on Facebook she was quitting her job, saying “it’s impossible to work for a killer and get paid by him”.
“I know that right now many of you feel desperation, helplessness, shame over Vladimir Putin’s attack on the friendly nation of Ukraine. But I urge you not to despair,” human rights activist Marina Litvinovich said in a video statement. “We, the Russian people, are against the war Putin has unleashed. We don’t support this war, it is being waged not on our behalf.”
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