Russian authorities are expanding their crackdown against internal opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, with police detaining thousands in cities across Russia over the past several days, according to a key human rights group in the country.
At least 411 people were arrested in 13 Russian cities on Monday, according to the group, OVD-Info, bringing the total detained since the Ukraine invasion began on Feb. 24 to more than 6,400. A number of prominent Russian sports figures, entertainers and business leaders have also expressed opposition to the war on social media.
The arrests and ongoing demonstrations have fueled speculation over the potential for protests against Mr. Putin to grow in Russia following a massive crackdown by authorities a year ago, after the country was rocked by rallies in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. A previous crackdown occurred after large-scale protests in Russia in 2017.
The latest protests, against the Ukraine invasion, started Thursday in several Russian cities, including Moscow, and have continued during the days since, even as Russian police have repeatedly swept in and detained people. The Kremlin has sought to downplay the protests, insisting that a much broader share of Russians support the war
The website Euronews reported Monday that police in riot gear grabbed protesters at a St. Petersburg protest and dragged some to police vans, even though the rally was peaceful.
Mr. Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition figure, expressed his own outrage over the Ukraine invasion while appearing Thursday for a court hearing being held in a penal colony in the Russian city of Pokrov.
“This war between Russia and Ukraine was unleashed to cover up the theft from Russian citizens and divert their attention from problems that exist inside the country,” Mr. Navalny said at the hearing, according to a report by the U.S. government-backed news outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Dressed in a prison uniform, Mr. Navalny said the war would “lead to a huge number of victims, destroyed futures, and the continuation of this line of impoverishment of the citizens of Russia.”
Mr. Navalny has been detained at Pokrov since returning last year from Germany, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal poison attack he blames on the Putin government.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
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