Many hundreds of people posted condemnations of Moscow’s most aggressive acts since the 1979 Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. Vladimir Putin described the attack as a “special military operations” to safeguard civilians in eastern Ukraine against “genocide”. This false claim, which the U.S. predicted would lead to invasion, was rejected by many Russians.
Tatyana Usmanova is a Moscow opposition activist who wrote on Facebook that she believed she was dreaming and woke up at 5:30 a.m. to the news. She called it “a disgrace that we will always be with now”
“I ask for forgiveness from the Ukrainians.” She said that she didn’t vote to support the war.
As sirens blared in Kyiv (the capital of Ukraine), and large explosions could be heard in other cities, Russians signed open letters and online petitions asking the Kremlin to stop the attack. The Ukrainian health minister claimed that at least 57 Ukrainians had been killed and dozens more were injured in the attack.
Abbas Gallyamov, a political analyst, stated that “public opinion is in shock” and that people are shocked to hear this.
Lev Ponomavyov (a prominent human rights advocate) started a petition that garnered more than 150,000 signatures in a matter of hours. The petition was signed by over 330,000 people by the end. An open letter condemning aggression was signed by more than 250 journalists. A second open letter was signed by approximately 250 scientists and 194 members of municipal councils in Moscow and other cities.
Zoya Vorobey, who is a Korolyov resident, said that she was worried about the people and her voice cracked. “I have been watching TV since this morning to see if there are any changes. Unfortunately, nothing.”
Many Russian celebrities and public figures spoke out against this attack, including some who work for state TV. Yelena Kolaskaya, the director of a Moscow state-funded theater, posted on Facebook that she was quitting her job. She stated that it was impossible to work for a murderer and be paid by him.
“I am sure that many of you are feeling desperation, helplessness and shame at Vladimir Putin’s attack against the friendly nation of Ukraine. Marina Litvinovich, a human rights activist, said that she urges people not to despair in a Facebook video calling for mass protests on Thursday evening.
“We, the Russian people are against the war Putin has started. Litvinovich stated that the Russian people do not support this war and it is being waged on their behalf.
However, the authorities refused to believe that.
They reacted quickly to criticisms in Moscow and other cities. Litvinovich was taken into custody outside her home shortly after she posted the protest call. OVD-Info, a rights organization that tracks political arrests, reported that 1,545 people were detained in 54 cities by Thursday evening. At least 957 were in Moscow.
Russia’s Investigative Committee warned Russians Thursday afternoon that unauthorized protests are illegal.
Roskomnadzor is the state communications and media watchdog. It demanded that Russian media use only “information and data” that comes from official Russian sources. Some media reported that certain employees of state-funded companies were told not to make public comments about events in Ukraine.
Human rights activists warned of a new wave in repression against dissent.
Pavel Chikov, prominent human rights advocate, wrote on Facebook that there would be “new (criminal) cases regarding subverters and spies, spying, treason and prosecution for antiwar demonstrations, there will also be detentions journalists and bloggers, those who have authored critical posts to social media, and bans on investigations into the situation in the Army and so forth.”
It is difficult to predict how large this new wave will become, as everything has been suppressed.
More than 1000 people rallied in Moscow’s center on Thursday night, chanting “No war!” while passing cars honked their horns.
Many people marched in St. Petersburg, and many more in Yekaterinburg.
“This is the most horrible and awful day of my life. Even worse, I was unable to go to work. My country is an aggressor. Putin is a hateful person. What can be done to get people to see?” Yekaterina Kuznetsova (40-year-old engineer) told the AP.
Russia’s official position remained firm in the interim. Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the upper chamber of parliament, claimed that those speaking out against the attack are only concerned about their “momentary issues.”
The attack was portrayed by state TV in line with the statements Putin made in his televised announcement.
Russia 1 TV host Olga Skabeyeva described it as an effort to “protect people in Donbas against a Nazi regime”; she also said that it was “without exaggeration a crucial junction of history.”