Over 1,300 Anti-War Protestors Arrested in Russia

The protestors spoke out against the new military draft.

The protestors spoke out against the new military draft.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of the country’s military in an effort to hold and potentially annex occupied Ukrainian territories. As part of this order, roughly 300,000 reservists will be called upon to join the armed forces, with all eligible individuals between the ages of 18 to 60 years old on the potential list.

This order has been met with heavy blowback locally. Immediately following Putin’s announcement, flights out of Russia sold out, to the point that the Kremlin ordered airlines not to sell tickets to men within the military age range. The order has also sparked numerous protests in and around Moscow, with the latest protests resulting in over 1,300 arrests.

“Thousands of Russian men, our fathers, brothers and husbands, will be thrown into the meat grinder of the war,” said representatives of political movement Vesna. “What will they be dying for? What will mothers and children be crying for?”

“Everyone is scared. I am for peace and I don’t want to have to shoot. But coming out now is very dangerous, otherwise there would be many more people,” one protestor told AFP reporters.

“I came out to the rally planning to participate, but it looks like they’ve already arrested everyone. This regime has condemned itself and is destroying its youth,” added another protestor.

Roughly 502 protestors have been detained in Moscow alone, as unsanctioned rallies are illegal in Russia. The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office warned that anyone arrested for organizing or participating in these protests could face up to 15 years in prison.

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