Several people were arrested during protests in Russia on the first anniversary of the war against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. According to the civil rights organization OVD-Info, ten people were arrested in the Baltic Sea metropolis of St. Petersburg – most of them trying to lay flowers for the victims in the neighboring country. The artist and anti-war activist Yelena Osipova (77) was also among those arrested in Petersburg.
Arrests were also made in the capital Moscow and in Yekaterinburg in the Urals. In Moscow, strangers had also left a handwritten note at the foot of a monument that morning, which read: “Ukraine, forgive us.” The note was removed shortly thereafter and a police car appeared at the location.
Public anti-war actions have become very rare in Russia due to massive repression. Criticism of the war is punishable by up to 15 years in a prison camp as alleged discrediting of the armed forces.