Last Update: January 23, 2023, 23:42 IST
A man lays flowers in memory of those killed in the recent attack on a residential block in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, at the monument to famous Ukrainian poetess Lesia Ukrainka in Moscow, January 23, 2023. (AFP)
The rare criticism of Russia’s nearly year-long military campaign in Ukraine comes on the back of sweeping legislation that all outlaws who speak out against the fighting
Muscovites faced the threat of arrest for laying flowers at an improvised memorial to victims of a missile attack in the Ukrainian central city of Dnipro, AFP journalists witnessed on Monday.
Rare criticism of Russia’s nearly year-long military campaign in ukraine Comes on the back of the comprehensive law that all outlaws who speak out against the fight.
Authorities in Ukraine say at least 46 people were killed in a Russian assault on a residential building in Dnipro last week, one of the deadliest attacks of Russia’s military campaign.
Flowers and children’s toys have already been removed several times from the base of the statue of Ukrainian poet Lesia Ukrainka in Moscow, but local residents continue to pay respect.
“How can I express how I feel about this tragedy. I want to express sympathy and condolences to those who are suffering right now,” mathematician Elena Ivanova told AFP.
“There is no other option. This is the only way to protest,” the 63-year-old said on Monday as he laid flowers and crossed himself at the memorial.
Police monitoring rights group, OVD Info, says about five people have been detained at the Moscow monument.
The group says around 20,000 have been detained protesting the conflict since last February.
Forty-year-old tour guide Alexander Voloshin stood at the monument in silence for several minutes, his hat removed.
He said that as soon as he saw pictures of the monument circulating online, he was “eager to see with his own eyes that Muscovites sympathize, sympathize.”
“That there is a monument dedicated to the victims in Ukraine, Ukrainians and sympathy for them,” he said.
“I have a lot of friends in Ukraine, friends offline, relatives and friends on the Internet,” he told AFP.
“And it’s very important for them to know that there is empathy, that there is some kind of protest against the nightmare.”
The Kremlin has denied attacking residential areas in Ukraine.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)