Vladimir PutinThe Baptist of Rumors and several leading Russian celebrities sparked a public protest against their nation’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army is fighting in almost every region of the country this afternoon, fighting Russians for control of military bases, airports, cities and ports after an early volley of cruise missiles and guided bombs aimed at ammunition depots and radar grids.
Until Thursday afternoon, fighting is taking place in Kiev, on the northern border with Belarusin Luhansk and Donetsk in the east and around Kherson, the Dnieper River and the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.
International condemnation of the Kremlin’s actions is widespread – and some of them RussiaThe biggest celebrities have now joined.
Many have shared black squares on their social media profiles, with the hashtag no war.
Among those who published the black square was Ksenia Sobchak, a secular lioness and former Russian presidential candidate who is said to be Vladimir Putin’s godmother. She denied the rumors, but previously admitted that he was present at her baptism.
In a post today, she said: “I was woken up at six in the morning today with the words, ‘Ksenia, the war has begun.’
“Not on our land, [but] with our people, yes.
“We Russians will deal with the consequences of today for many years to come.”
Ksenia Sobchak, a television personality and former presidential candidate, today spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
She is also rumored to be Vladimir Putin’s godmother. She denied the rumors, but previously admitted that he was present at her baptism
In a post today, she said: “I was woken up at six in the morning today with the words, ‘Ksenia, the war has begun.’ Not on our land, [but] with our people, yes. We Russians will struggle with the consequences of today for many years to come.
Other celebrities who will speak, including actress Anastasia Ivleeva, who has nearly 20 million followers on Instagram. She published a black square with the phrase: “No war”
Many have shared black squares on their social media profiles, along with the hashtag no war
TV presenter and actress Anastasia Ivleeva, who has nearly 20 million followers on Instagram, also posted a black square, commenting: “No war.”
TV presenter Ivan Urgant also responded to the situation, commenting: “Fear and pain. NO to war.
Former world figure skating champion Evgenia Medvedeva wrote: “I hope all this will end as soon as possible, like a bad dream.”
Maxim Galkin, a popular comedian who is also married to Russia’s biggest celebrity, added: “I’ve been in touch with relatives and friends in Ukraine since early this morning. I can’t describe in words how I feel! How is it possible? There can be no excuse for war. There is no war. ‘
Actress Irina Starshenbaum wrote: “How did we get to this point? Nothing justifies the war, and I have no words to express the pain and horror of this morning. Ukrainians, please excuse me for being helpless. We want an immediate end to these heinous actions.
More than 150 senior Russian officials have signed an open letter of condemnation Putinthe invasion of Ukraine as an “unprecedented atrocity” and a warning of “catastrophic consequences”.
Deputies said they were “convinced” that Russian citizens did not support the war and accused Putin “personally” of ordering troops in Ukraine in an attack “for which there is no and cannot be justified.”
In the early hours of today, Putin issued an order to attack, issuing an extraordinary address to the Russian nation, declaring a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” and “denationalize” Ukraine in a manner tantamount to a clear declaration of war.
The letter called on Russians “not to take part in the aggression” and called on citizens to speak out against the invasion, because “only mass popular condemnation can stop the war.”
Among the signatories of the letter were Moscow MPs Elena Rusakova, Maxim Gongalski, Andrei Morev, Elena Kotenochkina and Elena Filina, as well as St. Petersburg officials David Kuvaev and Polina Sizova and Veliky Novgorod MP Anna Cherepanova.
Former world figure skating champion Evgenia Medvedeva wrote: “I hope all this will end as soon as possible, like a bad dream.”
The Olympic silver medalist was among several Russian celebrities who spoke out against the war
Actress Irina Starshenbaum wrote: “How did we get to this point? Nothing justifies the war, and I have no words to express the pain and horror of this morning. Ukrainians, please excuse me for being helpless. We want an immediate end to these heinous actions. “
Russian actress Irina Starshenbaum also spoke out today against the invasion of Ukraine
Maxim Galkin, a popular comedian who is also married to Russia’s biggest celebrity, added: “I’ve been in touch with relatives and friends in Ukraine since early this morning. I can’t describe in words how I feel! How is it possible? There can be no excuse for war. No war ‘
It was a surprising move for Russian officials to speak out against Putin, who usually holds the iron grip of dissidents, and last week televised a meeting with Moscow’s top security chiefs in which they appeared to have been forced to support his plans to invade. in Ukraine.
The letter, which described the signatories as “elected by the people”, said they “unreservedly condemn the Russian army’s attack on Ukraine”.
“This is an unprecedented atrocity for which there is no and cannot be justified. The decision to attack was made personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin. We are convinced that the citizens of Russia have not given him such a mandate. “
The letter warns of “catastrophic consequences” – “Thousands of people will die, wounded and maimed, cities dear to many Russians will be destroyed.”
It says Russia will face “condemnation of the world community”, which will lead to “isolation, rising prices and poverty”.
“Hopes for a good life in Russia are dashing before our eyes,” the letter added.
“We urge you not to take part in the aggression and not to approve it. Please do not be silent: only mass popular condemnation can stop the war.
This comes after heartbreaking photos emerged from Ukraine showing bloodied civilians staggering through the streets of cities in the east of the country after Russian shelling in the early hours of today.
Other civilians were also injured, and some others are believed to have died, although the number of wounded has not yet been confirmed.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it was not targeting cities but using precision weapons, and said “there is no threat to the civilian population.”
However, Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv in eastern Ukraine say they have been attacked, with explosions reported in the west, in Zhytomyr and Lviv, near the Polish border.