Anti-war protests in Russia (2022–present)
On the afternoon of the 24th of February 2022, the Investigative Committee of Russia issued a warning to citizens that they would face legal repercussions for joining unsanctioned protests related to the tense foreign political situation. Opposition activist Marina Litvinovich called on Instagram for street protests on the evening of that same day but was detained by police as she left her house. That evening, thousands took to the streets in cities across Russia to protest the war. The largest demonstrations were in Moscow, where 2,000 protesters gathered near Pushkinskaya Square. In Saint Petersburg, up to 1,000 protesters gathered. Hundreds demonstrated in Yekaterinburg, and there were also demonstrations in Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, and Perm. By the end of the evening of the day of the invasion, according to the OVD-Info monitor, there had been 1,820 arrests in 58 cities, of which 1,002 were carried out in Moscow. Russia's interior ministry justified these arrests with coronavirus restrictions, including on public events.
On the 4th of March, the Russian parliament passed a law aimed at stifling reporting on and opposition to the war which punishes citizens with up to 15 years in jail for spreading fake information about the Russian military and its operations. This law also makes it illegal to make calls against the use of Russian troops to protect the interests of Russia or for discrediting such use with a penalty possible of up to three years in prison. Later that day, Putin signed the bill into law; he also signed into law a bill that would allow fines or prison sentences of up to 3 years for those calling for sanctions. That same week, Russian telecom regulator Roskomnadzor restricted access to social media websites Facebook and Twitter, as well as a number of international news organisations, including the BBC, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, American broadcasters Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. On the 6th of March, Roskomnadzor restricted access to Mediazona, demanding that the website close itself down. Mediazona defiantly promised to continue, providing tips to evade censorship. On the 11th of March, Roskomnadzor blocked the websites of Amnesty International as well as that of Russian election monitoring group Golos.
On the 24th of February, human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov started an online petition to protest against the invasion, garnering 289,000 signatures by the end of the day. By the 1st of March, the petition had gathered more than a million votes. Ukrainian-born pop star Svetlana Loboda asked How is this possible? Lord, stop all this! Figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva called for this all to end as soon as possible, like a bad dream. Chess player Yan Nepomniachtchi tweeted in protest: History has seen many Black Thursdays. But today is blacker than the others. #saynotowar. The hip-hop artist Oxxxymiron cancelled upcoming shows and called for mass protest, calling the invasion a crime and a catastrophe. Yelena Kovalskaya resigned as director of the state-owned Meyerhold Theater Center, writing that it was impossible to work for a murderer and receive salary from him. In May 2022, rock singer Yuri Shevchuk was prosecuted after speaking out against Putin and the war in Ukraine at a concert in Ufa. He said that people of Ukraine are being murdered and our boys are dying over there due to some Napoleonic plans of another Caesar of ours.
On the 12th of March, it was reported that around 80 marines had refused to fight after being deployed to Kherson and were returned to Crimea. On the 7th of April, Pskov newspaper Pskovskaya Gubernia reported that around 60 Russian paratroopers in Belarus had refused such orders, further reporting that Russian commanders were blocking attempts by soldiers to resign from the Russian Armed Forces and referring those soldiers to prosecutors instead. Among service personnel who have refused to conduct hostilities against Ukraine include 11 OMON fighters from Khakassia, about 100 OMON fighters from Omsk, as well as servicemen of the 15th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, the 9th Guards, 165th and 227th Artillery Brigades, the 15th Separate Peacekeeping, 25th Guards, 38th, 64th, 74th Guards, 80th, 138th and 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigades, 5th and 71st Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigades, 54th and 95th Control Brigades, 6th Regiment of NBC Protection, 51st Separate Logistics Brigade, 69th Separate Covering Brigade, 108th and 247th Guards Air Assault Regiments, 810th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade stationed in the Crimea, commanders at different ranks of the 3rd Motor Rifle Division, and the personnel of two battalion tactical groups of the 4th Guards Military Base from South Ossetia which has been deployed with the 58th Combined Arms Army. On the 30th of March 2022, South Ossetian social media channels, local bloggers, and politicians such as the former de facto president Eduard Kokoity reported that many Ossetian servicemen , up to 300, according to one source , had abandoned the Ukrainian battlefields, returning home of their own free will.
No to war! is an anti-war slogan used by the demonstrators in the 2022 anti-war protests in Russia. Children also used this slogan on handmade signs and tried to leave their message outside the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow. They were arrested for those actions. The white-blue-white flag is an anti-war symbol created by removing the red from the Russian flag. According to anti-war protesters, the red represented blood and violence, and the flag attempts to evoke the legacy of the historic Novgorod Republic as an example of democracy. However, not all protesters appreciated the flag. Maria Motuznaya, an opposition activist, had criticised the justification for the removal red stripe of the flag. A version of the Russian national anthem proposed in early 1917 after the February Revolution that overthrew the monarchy and turned Russia into a republic that lasted until October 1917 became popular among supporters of the anti-war movement again in 2022. Some protesters have used green ribbons as a symbol of opposition to the war. Relatives of some Russian officials who justify Russia's war against Ukraine have also expressed their disagreement with the Kremlin's decision through the hashtag No to war!. Among them was Liza Peskova, the daughter of the official representative of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov.
Since the beginning of the invasion, more than 300,000 Russians have fled the country, particularly citizens who are opposed to the war, in response to increasing repression and rumours of conscription and martial law. Journalist Boris Grozovski published a Facebook post saying We are not tourists, dear citizens of Georgia. We are refugees. Personally, I was wanted by the police in Russia for distributing anti-war petitions... We ran not from bullets, bombs and missiles, but from prison. By early April, an estimated 100,000 Russians had fled Russia to Georgia. After three weeks of war, around 14,000 were said to have left for Turkey. Tens of thousands went to Armenia; by the 24th of May an estimated 108,000 Russian citizens having fled to the country, or Nordic states such as Finland. Thousands are said to have gone to Uzbekistan. Several commentators have noted the significant presence of youth in the anti-war protests in Russia. Cynthia Hooper of the College of the Holy Cross said that protests against the war represented a generational struggle in Russia, pitting those who believe in the stories of state-run television against their own children. A poll by the independent Levada Center published on the 30th of March saw Putin's approval rating jump from 71% in February to 83% in March.
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Common questions
What happened on the 24th of February 2022 regarding anti-war protests in Russia?
On the afternoon of the 24th of February 2022, the Investigative Committee of Russia issued a warning that citizens would face legal repercussions for joining unsanctioned protests. That evening, thousands took to the streets across Russian cities including Moscow and Saint Petersburg to protest the war.
When did the Russian parliament pass laws against opposition to the war in Ukraine?
The Russian parliament passed a law aimed at stifling reporting on and opposition to the war on the 4th of March. Later that day, Vladimir Putin signed the bill into law along with another bill allowing fines or prison sentences for those calling for sanctions.
Which celebrities protested against the invasion of Ukraine during the 2022 anti-war protests in Russia?
Ukrainian-born pop star Svetlana Loboda asked how this was possible while figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva called for the conflict to end as soon as possible. Chess player Yan Nepomniachtchi tweeted in protest and hip-hop artist Oxxxymiron cancelled shows to call for mass protest.
How many people fled Russia after the start of the invasion in 2022?
Since the beginning of the invasion more than 300,000 Russians have fled the country particularly citizens who are opposed to the war. By early April an estimated 100,000 Russians had fled to Georgia and by the 24th of May an estimated 108,000 had fled to Turkey or Nordic states such as Finland.
What symbols did protesters use during the 2022 anti-war protests in Russia?
No to war! is an anti-war slogan used by demonstrators including children who tried to leave messages outside the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow. The white-blue-white flag became an anti-war symbol created by removing the red from the Russian flag and some protesters also used green ribbons as a symbol of opposition.