OVD-Info: over 80 Russians detained for protesting war in Ukraine on Victory Day

A total of 125 people were detained in Russia on Victory Day, OVD-Info, a Russian human rights group that monitors political arrests, reports.

According to the organisation, 82 people were detained for demonstrating anti-war symbols and expressing anti-war sentiments on Victory Day, 43 were detained for previous statements and actions, for taking part in protests dedicated to other issues, or “as a preventive measure.”

At least 37 people were detained in the Moscow metro with the aid of facial recognition software. Only five of them were detained for today’s protest actions. Attorneys Mikhail Biryukov and Yulia Tregubova were among those detained today. They were later released.

Police also detained people carrying signs such as “My grandfather fought against fascism” or “He wouldn’t have wanted to do it again.” In St. Petersburg, local councilman Sergey Samusev was detained for carrying a portrait of Boris Romanchenko, a Holocaust survivor who was killed after an attack by Russian forces on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in March 2022.

The Russian Interior Ministry earlier said that over a million people had participated in the Immortal Regiment march, an annual event during which people march across the city carrying portraits of their relatives who fought in WWII.