“Evening of Grief” in Moscow ends with detentions

August 12 Moscow police detained participants of the "Evening of Remembrance and Grief" near the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow." As reported by the website grani.ru, 30 people were arrested, mostly those who came to the embassy with Ukrainian flags, yellow and blue ribbons and balloons.

The police also detained their opponents, who “St. George's ribbons” to the fence of the embassy.

All in all, the action in memory of victims of war was attended by at least 150 people. They gathered on Pushkin Square and proceeded to the Ukrainian Embassy to lay flowers and light candles.

Initially, the mayor of Moscow was served a notice on the march, but the authorities banned the event. After this, the organizers posted the following message in social networks: "At 8 p.m. on Tuesday we will just come to Pushkin Square without any posters and banners, and send letters to relatives of those killed in the Ukraine and to soldiers who protect the integrity of Ukraine. Bring your letters, as well as pictures drawn by your children - your words of encouragement will be passed to the addressees through the Ukrainian Embassy."

One of the organizers of the rally, Pavel Selkov, was detained with a box of children's letters and drawings. Another activist, Mark Galperin, was poured over with Zelionka (green substance used for disinfection) when he was leaving his work on Tuesday evening. Despite this, he came to Pushkin Square.

Since March of this year, members of the Russian protest movement have regularly held rallies of solidarity with Ukraine. In early March, anti-war meeting with mass detentions and administrative arrests took place in the center of Moscow. March 15, an agreed peace march was attended by thousands of people. May 1, a group of activists came to Tverskaya Street with a Ukrainian flag and sang the national anthem of Ukraine. In June, civil society activists recorded a video message to the Ukrainians.

In May, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May thanked "thousands of honest people of Russia, who condemn the aggressive militaristic policy of the Russian leadership", and condemned the "brutal persecution of Russian citizens by the police for supporting the Ukraine and publicl peace advocacy."