Ukraine invasion: Thousands take to the streets in Russia to say ‘no to war’

Defying police warnings, people took to central squares and protest against the military campaign. Some risked arrest in order to voice their opposition to the invasion. Over 1000 were later detained.

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A demonstrator holds a sign reading 'No war!' in St. Petersburg, Russia, as hundreds of people gathered in the center of in Saint Petersburg protesting against Russia's attack on Ukraine.

As President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine Thursday, thousands of people took to streets across Russia to protest, saying “no to war” and standing in solidarity with Ukrainians. Videos of the anti-war protests have gone viral on social media.

As Putin ordered Russian troops to enter Ukraine, thousands of Russians came out to participate in anti-war protests in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and other cities. Defying police warnings, people took to central squares to protest against the military campaign. Some risked arrest in order to voice their opposition to the invasion.

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“No to war!” chanted a crowd of mostly young Russians gathered on Nevsky Prospekt, the main street in St Petersburg, with candles and banners in hand. “I have no words, it’s just disgusting,” a young woman at the rally was quoted by Al Jazeera. “What is there to say? We feel powerlessness, anguish.”

“I am embarrassed for my country. To be honest with you, I am speechless. War is always scary. We don’t want this,” Nikita Golubev, participating in a rally at Moscow’s Pushkinskaya Square told The Guardian. “Why are we doing this?” the 30-year-old teacher asked.

Huge anti-war protest happening in Moscow, the capital of Russia:

Russian citizens rejecting the Ukraine invasion pic.twitter.com/Cx6GADwlPy

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 24, 2022

Footage of anti-war protesters in St. Petersburg (via @fontanka_news). pic.twitter.com/BaraMOPJDH

— Eilish Hart (@EilishHart) February 24, 2022

❗️St. #Petersburg now pic.twitter.com/ppYjyPWVhe

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 24, 2022

People marching through central Moscow this evening chanting “No to War!” pic.twitter.com/BTQ3ZOGTan

— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) February 24, 2022

This is Moscow, #Russia. People went out to the streets protesting against the war and Russian invasion in #Ukraine. According to human rights defenders, more than 150 people have been detained so far for protests in Russia. Their number will most certainly grow pic.twitter.com/ZcdY3vLtws

— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) February 24, 2022

В Тюмени сейчас! Люди скандируют «Нет войне!» #нетвойне pic.twitter.com/8OhtJmEl1m

— Соболь Любовь (@SobolLubov) February 24, 2022

#UkraineWar: A #Russian anti-war protest in Yekaterinburg. pic.twitter.com/taZOa1D5pK

— Leon Sverdlov (@Leon_Sverdlov) February 24, 2022

As anti-war chants grew louder, the police were sent in to arrest protesters. “By 10.49 pm, police had detained 1,667 people at rallies in 53 cities, the OVD-Info rights monitor said, easily the biggest tally since last year’s crushing of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s network ushered in an ice age in activism,” Reuters reported.

Возле Гостиного двора в Петербурге собралось, по оценкам корра «Новой», около двухсот человек. Толпа скандирует «Нет войне!». Полиция в мегафон предупреждает о недопустимости массовых акций в период коронавирусных ограничений. Несколько десятков человек задержаны. Видео: «Новая» pic.twitter.com/lsOkKTWFvd

— Новая Газета (@novaya_gazeta) February 24, 2022

Meanwhile in Russia 🇷🇺 at protests against the war with Ukraine. Ten “peacekeepers” 🕊are dragging an old blockade woman with a placard “No to war” into a paddy wagon🚓 #UkraineRussiaConflict #UkraineRussie #Ukraina #RussiaUkraineConflict #Russia #russianinvasion #UcraniaRusia pic.twitter.com/HE6oWIY27x

— The WAR ARCHIVES (@theasterix08) February 24, 2022

Dissent also came from unusually mainstream figures such as Ivan Urgant, one of Russia’s most famous television comedians, who wrote on Instagram: “Fear and Pain. NO TO WAR.”

Singer Valery Meladze said on Instagram that “history will judge and put everything in its places. But today I beg you to stop military action and come together in talks.”

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Tennis star Daniil Medvedev of Russia too shared his feeling about the ongoing crisis. “By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries; I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news. … I’m all for peace,” he said,

Elena Kovalskaya, the director of Moscow’s Vsevolod Meyerhold State Theater and Cultural Center, has announced her resignation in protest against the invasion of Ukraine. “It’s impossible to work for a murderer and collect a salary from him,” she writes. pic.twitter.com/RhG4wjRww7

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) February 24, 2022

However, as pictures and videos of the Russians protesting went viral, it provided a glimmer of hope among people online, as they applaud them for their “bravery”.

We are in downtown Moscow where hundreds are protesting against the Ukraine invasion. Arrests. A large police presence. It takes a special kind of bravery to protest in Putin’s Russia – especially on the day he sends his country to war. pic.twitter.com/zDJEEKU03m

— James Longman (@JamesAALongman) February 24, 2022

The breathtaking bravery of the Russians who know they’ll be arrested for protesting this war and do it anyway. pic.twitter.com/w9lrnKjVnF

— mohamad safa (@mhdksafa) February 24, 2022

The breathtaking bravery of the Russians who know they’ll be arrested for protesting this war and do it anyway.

— David Litt (@davidlitt) February 24, 2022

I was holding it together today until my sweet friend in Moscow sent me a message that said, “we are against war, we don’t know what is going on but many Russians are protesting.”

— Rachel Vindman (@natsechobbyist) February 24, 2022

This video shows how quickly a peaceful Russian protester holding up a sign just saying “нет войне” (no war!) is taken down.

This people are risking a lot, their govt. is using force to stop protests. The world is watching their courage!#нетвойне ☮️https://t.co/7EzIan4c95

— Dalai, das Lama 🦙🌎🌳🇺🇦🇷🇺☮️ (@DalaiDasLama) February 24, 2022

Who else is INSPIRED to see brave Russians flooding the streets, facing jail or even DEATH to protest Putin’s invasion of Ukraine?

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) February 25, 2022

Not just in Russia, anti-war protests have erupted in major cities around the world, from New York to London, all urging Putin to roll back his troops as the number of casualties breached 100 on the first day.