Russian Protesters Stand In Solidarity With Ukraine

Vladimir Putin may have led his troops into Ukraine in an unprovoked attack, but not everyone in Russia backs him.

The Russian president declared war on his western neighbour early on Thursday morning, calling for all Ukrainian forces to lay down their arms – while alleging that Ukraine is response for all “possible bloodshed” and that Russia invaded by “necessity”.

Putin also claimed that Ukraine has no right to exist as an independent country, and that its sovereignty was unsustainable, while warning the West and Nato that crossing Russia would mean facing “consequences greater than any you have faced in history”.

However, it seems not everyone in Russia feels the same.

Protests gathering in St Petersburg suggest the public are pushing back against Putin’s agenda – even though there is a total ban on protests and there have been reports of arrests.

Russian celebrities – such as TV host Ivan Urgant, comedian Maxim Galkin, popstars Sventlana Loboda and Valery Meladze, figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva, have spoken out against the invasion too – although notably none have mentioned Putin by name.

Still, according to the FT’s Moscow bureau chief Max Seddon, just speaking out against state action can “get you banned from state TV for life”.