
More than 1,700 people have been arrested during anti-war protests in dozens of cities in Russia. More than 900 people were arrested in Moscow and over 400 in St. Petersburg, according to OVD-Info, which tracks arrests at opposition rallies.
Thousands of people gathered near Pushkin Square in central Moscow, while up to 1 thousand people gathered in the former imperial capital St. Petersburg, reports the AFP news agency.
Their call was: "No to war." "I am shocked. "My relatives and loved ones live in Ukraine," Anastasia Nestulya, a 23-year-old from Moscow, told AFP. "What can I say to them on the phone? Stay there? ”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Russia's defense ministry says the army has achieved the goals it set for the first day of the invasion of Ukraine. "All the tasks assigned to the groups of troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for that day were successfully performed," said Igor Konashenkov.