Ukrainians use the subway as a shelter 3:44
(CNN Spanish) -
Hundreds of people have been arrested so far in various Russian cities for participating in anti-war protests, after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in a wide-ranging attack that began before dawn on Thursday.
At least 1,705 people had been detained in at least 44 Russian cities, including Moscow, as of Thursday night Moscow time, the independent monitoring group OVD-Info reported.
War Russia - Ukraine: last minute and news of the attack and invasion live
In the center of Moscow, dozens of people demonstrated with signs that read "Stop the war", despite the warnings of the Russian police who, with their megaphones, told citizens every few minutes that they were not authorized to be there. .
According to CNN correspondent Nic Robertson, who was in a central square in the Russian capital during the arrests, the police were explaining to the demonstrators that a protest against the war was not authorized while they took the banners out of their backpacks and put them on police trucks. to take them into custody.
Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Moscow on Feb. 24, 2022. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)MOREHIDE
"The government says that these are not authorized demonstrations, they warn not to attend, they say that they are going to arrest people, that there are going to be legal repercussions. And the government even says: if you get a criminal record for criminal activity in one of these events, it will affect you for the rest of your life," Robertson explained.
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During his live report, Robertson said that at least 10 people were being arrested in about 2 minutes.
And dozens in about 45 minutes.
"The police are using their megaphones every few minutes to tell people they're not authorized to be here. Get on the subway and get out of the area, they're told. But every now and then people get arrested."
Police officers detain a woman during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Moscow on Feb. 24, 2022. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)MOREHIDE
Russia prohibits demonstrations without permission, but Russians can organize individual protests by one person.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine early Thursday, causing several deaths and prompting rejection and warnings from Western leaders of unprecedented sanctions.
Nic Robertson and Nathan Hodge contributed to this report.
Conflict Russia - Ukraine
