According to the independent NGO, most of the activists were arrested in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. AFP journalists in Moscow saw at least 50 people arrested on one of the main streets of the capital. In Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, a bus full of detainees was taken away by police in the center of the city. The demonstrators chanted “no to war” and “no mobilization”. Such protests are illegal in Russia.
Putin announced his decision to partial military mobilization in a speech earlier today. At least 300,000 reservists will be called up. Refusal to fight could result in ten years in prison.
Thousands of people have been jailed in recent months for protesting the invasion of Ukraine.