More than 20,000 detained in Russia for anti-war views over the past three years, OVD-Info reports

In the three years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 20,000 people in Russia have been detained for their anti-war stance, according to figures released by the independent human rights organization OVD-Info.

In 2022 alone, over 18,900 people were detained during public anti-war protests against military actions and mobilization — the mass conscription of men into Russia’s armed forces announced by Vladimir Putin in September that year.

In 2023, Russian security forces detained an additional 274 individuals, followed by 41 more in 2024. Over the same period, there were 856 instances of detentions linked to the public display of anti-war symbols.

Some Russians have been detained multiple times. These include 79-year-old St. Petersburg artist Elena Osipova, who has repeatedly staged solo protests against the war in her hometown.

In certain cases, activists have faced additional pressure from the state following their detention. For example, at the end of 2023, officers from the Center for Combating Extremism (also known as Center “E”) detained activist Dmitry Kuzmin, who had already been expelled twice from university for his anti-war stance. After his arrest, police attempted to serve him a military draft notice while he was in custody at the police station.

OVD-Info linked the declining protest trend to the adoption of repressive laws on “fake news” and “discrediting the army.” The laws have effectively introduced military censorship across the country, leading to a significant decline in public anti-war activity in Russia.

The Russian authorities are continuing to prosecute individuals for posts and comments made in 2022 and 2023. According to OVD-Info, in 2024, 85% of criminal cases related to anti-war statements on the internet were launched over posts published before 2024.

The nature of repression — and its legal framing — also appear to be shifting. In 2024, the most frequently used legal charge was “public justification of terrorism” (Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code).

Prosecutions have also increasingly targeted individuals based on other pretexts — both inherent characteristics (such as sexual orientation or foreign citizenship) and government-assigned labels (such as being designated a so-called “foreign agent” or having ties to an “undesirable” or “extremist” organization).