More than 1,200 protesters were arrested in 38 cities across Russia on Wednesday as people took to the streets to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to draft 300,000 military reservists.
Russian police detain protesters during an anti-war protest in Moscow.
OVD-Info said at least 510 people were taken into custody in St. Petersburg, while 468 were taken into custody in Moscow.
Crowds of people gathered in Moscow and other cities around the country to protest, while others scrambled to buy one-way plane tickets to leave the country.
The protests marked one of the biggest country-wide demonstrations since the war in Ukraine began, when more than 2,000 people were arrested for protesting.
16,437 is the total number of people. According to OVD-Info, there have been many people arrested for expressing anti-war sentiment.
As Russia suffers losses on the battlefield, and as the Kremlin struggles to recruit new troops, Putin ordered a partial mobilize of reserve soldiers, the first time that has happened since World War II. A lack of details on the announcement raised concerns that the effort could be expanded. Putin made a veiled threat that Russia was ready to use all means necessary to defend the country's territorial integrity. The Russian government has imposed strict limits on organized protests and dissent for years, but in recent months, Putin has moved to crack down on those who speak out against the war in Ukraine. Several major Russian opposition activists have been arrested for publicly criticizing the Kremlin this year, including opposition politician Ilya Yashin and his colleague Vladimir Kara-Murza as well as a Russian state television journalist who protested the war during a live broadcast.
The Russians were arrested in protests against the military.
Protests erupted after Putin ordered partial military call up.
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