Intrusive video shows a Russian mother trying to explain to her crying daughter why they were detained by armed police for opposition Vladimir Putinthe war.
They went to lay flowers at the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow, and the children handed out “No to War” posters. But all mothers and children were detained.
Sociologist Alexandra Arkhipova spoke of her horror when mothers Ekaterina Zavizion and Olga Alter and their children Sofia Gladkova, seven, Lisa Gladkova, 11, Gosha Petrov, 11, Matvey Petrov, nine, and David Petrov, seven, were held by Russian officers.
“They were all detained by the police,” she said.
Russian children arrested while carrying “No to War” flowers and posters to Ukrainian embassy in Moscow
The heartbreaking moment when a mother tries to calm her child, who is arrested and detained
Russian mother Ekaterina Zavizion (pictured) was arrested along with her children. He works as a sociologist
The police first detained them in a police car and took them to the Presnenskoye police station.
“Parents’ phones have been taken away and police are shouting at parents, threatening these brave mothers and their children that the children can be taken care of immediately and these mothers will lose their parental rights.”
The video shows one of the mothers, Ekaterina Zavizion, and her 7-year-old daughter, Sofia, talking through a metal cage.
The girl squeezes her mother’s hand through the metal grille.
The daughter is obviously deeply upset.
“They don’t want many people to gather in one space,” her mother explained.
“Why are you sitting there?” Require your daughter.
“Everything will be fine, do you believe me?”
The children were taken by their mothers to lay flowers at the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow.
However, the women – along with their children – were arrested and thrown into a police van to be detained by police overnight.
Ekaterina’s mother told of the “hell” she went through while her children screamed and cried when they were detained.
“I had watched videos showing the horrific inhuman attack in Kharkiv – and I realized that I could no longer sit under a trembling bush and pretend that nothing was happening,” she said.
“My heart is torn with grief and pain.
“I had the most peaceful intentions – to lay flowers in memory of civilians and children who died in Ukraine.”
She wanted to show “we are not indifferent” and that “here too we die of grief and pain.”
When detained with her children, she said: “It was surreal, I was not prepared for that.
“The children started screaming, it was hell.
“God, I will never forget those minutes.”
She said, “Maybe it would be safer for my family to keep quiet and not go anywhere.”
The photos first appeared when a Russian opposition politician shared heartbreaking photos of children detained in the back of a police van after taking part in anti-war protests.
Although the Kremlin has no tolerance for dissent, protesters opposed Moscow and took to the streets against the president. Vladimir Putinis an illegal war in Ukrainerisking imprisonment and even accusations of treason.
Nearly 7,000 people have so far been detained by Russian police in about 50 cities, according to OVD-Info, an organization that monitors protests in the country.
The photos show at least three children – no older than elementary school – sitting in the back of a Moscow police van holding flowers and banners.
A girl is shown holding a sign reading “No War” in Russian. Small Russian and Ukrainian flags are painted around the words. On the right, the two flags are drawn, followed by a small pink heart that says “Russia plus Ukraine is equal to love.”
Russian opposition politician shares heartbreaking photos of children (pictured) detained in the back of a police van after participating in anti-war protests
The girl is shown sitting in a chair in the back of a police van with an empty expression, with two children sitting on either side of her, who also look calm despite the circumstances.
A girl on the left is shown with a pink jacket and gloves with a bouquet of flowers and another banner, while a boy on the left has his backpack at his feet.
Another photo shows the girl in the pink jacket facing metal rods holding them in the van. Her face is red, as if she were crying.
Behind her are the other children, as well as what looks like at least two Russian police officers in black uniforms.
Officers in the same uniforms were seen in Russian cities smashing protesters and gathering them in vans.
The children were taken to a police station. He is seen sitting in a chair next to a desk, where a woman in a police uniform and mask is working on a computer.
The “no war” banners they held were placed on the desk behind the girl, as was one of her flowers.
It is already dark outside, as the children have been detained overnight.
According to photos shared on Tuesday by opposition politician Ilya Yashin, the children are among those abducted by officials. The photos show at least three children – no older than primary school – sitting in the back of what is reportedly a Moscow police van holding flowers and banners.
People gather to organize an anti-war protest in St. Petersburg, Russia on March 1, 2022.
Police detained a protester during a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in central St. Petersburg on March 1, 2022.
Ilya Yashin is a former politician who was barred from running for office in 2021 because he called himself an “extremist” for his support of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
He posted the photos on social media on Tuesday night, writing on Facebook: “Nothing unusual: just children in wheelchairs behind an anti-war poster. This is Putin’s Russia, people. You live here.
He went on to predict that the Kremlin’s “propaganda machine” would accuse the children’s parents of telling people not to involve their children in politics.
But Yashin said it didn’t matter. “Many generations in our country (learn) from school that the worst thing is war, and the main value is a peaceful sky above your head,” he wrote.
He remembers his time at school, saying that he and his classmates would paint anti-war posters. “And that’s good!” he added. “Children against war is damn normal!”
Police in St. Petersburg, meanwhile, smashed anti-war demonstrations Tuesday during another night of protests.
Police arrested 1,700 protesters in 46 Russian cities on Sunday alone, OVD-Info reported. Photos from Moscow and St. Petersburg show a police officer grabbing protesters and transporting them to police vans.
Nearly 7,000 people have been detained in anti-war protests in Russia since Thursday
Pictured: Protester abducted by members of Omon’s paramilitary groups during a demonstration in Moscow on Sunday
Fearful Russian thugs from Omon’s paramilitary leaders have been spotted in the streets to destroy any opposition to Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine.
Astronauts with helmets in camouflage riot gear have been spotted regularly dragging protesters.
Protests against the invasion began in Russia on Thursday and have continued every day since, although Omon and police have been moving quickly to quell the rallies.
The Kremlin has tried to downplay the protests, insisting that a much wider proportion of Russians support the attack on Ukraine.
But younger, technology-savvy Russians with access to independent media have expressed opposition to the Kremlin’s invasion, risking imprisonment and even accusations of treason.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on the UN’s highest human rights body to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine.
The senior US diplomat also cited Russia in recorded notes provided to the country’s Human Rights Council on repression in the country, citing reports that thousands of protesters in Russia who opposed the invasion had been detained.
Blinken called on the council on Tuesday to send a message that Russian President Vladimir Putin must unconditionally stop the “unprovoked attack” and withdraw his forces from Ukraine.
“We must strongly and unequivocally condemn Russia’s attempt to overthrow a democratically elected government and gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and we must take steps to hold the perpetrators accountable,” he said.