- Russian citizens protested across the country for the second night in a row on Friday.
- The mass demonstrations persisted even as Russian authorities forcefully cracked down on protests.
- More than 1,800 people were arrested across 58 cities on Thursday, according to OVD-Info rights group.
Russian citizens across the country hit the streets on Friday evening for the second night of wide-scale protests against their country's ongoing assault on Ukraine.
In Moscow, St. Petersburg, and dozens of other cities, thousands of Russians rebuked the Kremlin's violent military invasion, even as Russian authorities clamped down on displays of opposition.
The OVD-Info rights group, which tracks political arrests, reported Friday that hundreds of protesters were detained in Moscow. Arrests in St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Bryansk, and Arkhangelsk were also reported.
Friday's crackdown followed a surge of thousands of arrests across the country on Thursday, stemming from a spark of spontaneous mass protests in response to Russia's early-morning invasion.
OVD-Info said more than 1,800 people were arrested across 58 cities on Thursday. Russia designated the rights group as a foreign agent last year amid a crackdown on activists and opposition figures, The Washington Post reported.
Friday night's demonstrations appeared to be less populated than Thursday's, though videos from St. Petersburg showed hundreds gathered to appeal for peace in Ukraine.
—Nataliya Vasilyeva (@Nat_Vasilyeva) February 25, 2022
Russia's Investigative Committee told citizens not to take part in the "unauthorized" demonstrations, warning that the body would track down organizers and participants with threats of "severe punishment."
A spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, made efforts to minimize the size of the protests, saying Friday that President Vladimir Putin "hears everyone's opinion," but also knows "the share of those who have a different point of view and those who are sympathetic to such a necessary operation," according to The Associated Press.
—BNO News (@BNONews) February 25, 2022