Children As Young As Seven Detained Following Anti-War Protests

Children as young as seven and an elderly woman have been detained in Russia for protesting against their country's invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Ilya Yashin – one of the leaders and co-founders of Solidarnost, the main anti-Putin democratic opposition party in Russia – tweeted that kids were among those being taken in by police for opposing the conflict. 

Following the news, which was confirmed by Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta, a heartbreaking video has emerged of a Russian mother trying to explain to her upset daughter why they have been detained for their peaceful display of solidarity. 

As reported by Sky News, sociologist Alexandra Arkhipova told of her horror when mothers Ekaterina Zavizion and Olga Alter and their children Sofya Gladkova, seven, Liza Gladkova, 11, Gosha Petrov, 11, Matvey Petrov, nine and David Petrov, seven, were held by Russian officers. 

They had been visiting the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow with the children putting down flowers and handing in ‘No To War’ posters they had made, but they were then all taken in by the police. The news outlet said that even peaceful protests are not being tolerated by officials. 

‘All of them were detained by the police,’ said Alexandra. ‘Phones were taken away from parents, and the policemen are shouting at the parents threatening these brave mums and their children, that the kids could be put into care right now, and these mothers would lose their parental rights.’

Accompanying Alexandra’s statements is a video of mum Ekaterina talking through metal bars to her seven-year-old daughter Sofya as she tries to calm her distraught daughter and explain why they are detained.

As the daughter clutches her mum’s hand through the metal grille, Ekaterina says, ‘They don’t want many people gathering in one space,’ to which Sofya replies, ‘Why are you sitting there?’

Continuing to reassure her daughter, the mum tells her, ‘Everything is going to be good, do you trust me?’, with Sofya saying, ‘OK.. why are you sitting there? Will they let you go?’

‘Because they do not allow many people to gather together so they don’t say they are against the war,’ replies Ekaterina, adding, ‘Of course I’ll come out.’

The incident follows reports of thousands of anti-war protesters being detained in recent days, with Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny calling on the country’s citizens to hold daily demonstrations against the ‘aggressive war’ in Ukraine. 

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, ‘We – Russia – want to be a nation of peace. Alas, few people would call us that now. But let's at least not become a nation of frightened silent people. Of cowards who pretend not to notice the aggressive war against Ukraine unleashed by our obviously insane czar.’

Alexei continued, ‘Putin is not Russia. And if there is anything in Russia right now that you can be most proud of, it is those 6824 people who were detained because – without any call – they took to the streets with placards saying "No War".

‘They say that someone who cannot attend a rally and does not risk being arrested for it cannot call for it. I'm already in prison, so I think I can. We cannot wait any longer. Wherever you are, in Russia, Belarus or on the other side of the planet, go to the main square of your city every weekday and at 2pm on weekends and holidays.’

Reports of protester arrests arrived as it was revealed that Russia was increasingly clamping down on media coverage of the war in the country.

A number of the country's few remaining independent TV stations and newspapers have been suspended or subjected to censorship for sharing anti-war messages, while western-owned social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have also been restricted in the country.

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