OVD-Info, a Russian independent human rights group, reported Monday that around 5,000 anti-war protesters were arrested across 69 cities in Russia on Sunday. As of Tuesday, more than 5,292 people are detained by Russian authorities in 74 cities.
OVD-Info is a Russian independent human rights media project. The group launched in 2011 in an effort to raise awareness of and fight political persecutions in Russia. OVD-Info has faced backlash from Russian authorities over its efforts. In December 2021, Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor blocked OVD-Info’s website as a part of a crackdown on what Russian authorities referred to as “illegal content.” Despite that, OVD-Info has continued its work.
OVD-Info has reported on the anti-war protests in Russia since they began on February 24. Since then, Russian authorities have detained almost 13,000 protesters, according to OVD-Info.
On Sunday, a total of 4,989 people were arrested and detained. Of those, 13 detainees were journalists and 113 were minors. Detainees face a litany of charges ranging from violating established procedures for public gatherings to disobeying a lawful order of the police. Depending on the charge, detainees either face fines or up to 30 days of jail time. In addition to their reporting, OVD-Info is also working to provide detainees with legal counsel.
On their website, OVD-Info provides lists of detained protesters according to the region and the day of detention. They continue to track anti-war protests and efforts.