Hundreds Arrested As Russians Protest Ukraine Attack

Russians have turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country’s invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media.

Some 1,702 people in 53 Russian cities were detained Thursday, at least 940 of them in Moscow.

Emotional social media posts condemning the move, open letters demanding the attack stop and calls for protests came pouring in.

But Russian authorities were not having it, swiftly cracking down on activists who tried to rally people and pressuring the country’s media into toeing the official line.