Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week called for "partial mobilization" of the Russian people to support the Ukrainian war.
Putin stated in an address to his people on Wednesday that mobilization is vital since his country is battling not only Ukraine, but the entire West as well.
The announcement sparked protests across the country, culminating in hundreds of arrests and a run on plane tickets.
According to a monitoring group (via CNN), at least 1,300 individuals were detained across Russia on Wednesday for engaging in nationwide anti-war protests, with some being immediately drafted into the military.
Images and videos depict police repressing protesters in a number of places. One video shows police dragging away a number of protesters at a rally in central Moscow, while another shows police in St. Petersburg trying to control a crowd screaming "no mobilization" outside Isakiivskiy Cathedral.
Tickets to nations without visa requirements saw a considerable increase in price and were "completely gone" by Wednesday night.
According to statistics issued by the independent monitoring group OVD-Info just after midnight on Wednesday, police detained demonstrators in 38 Russian cities.
In at least four police stations in Moscow, according to the group's spokeswoman Maria Kuznetsova, some of the protestors who were detained by riot police were immediately enlisted into the Russian military.
She claims that one of the detainees has been threatened with prosecution for refusing to be drafted. The government has announced that the penalty for resisting the draft is now 15 years in prison. According to OVD-Info, more than 500 of the over 1,300 persons held worldwide were in Moscow, and more than 520 were in St. Petersburg.
The Group of Seven (G7) nations will not recognize the referendums Russia is planning in Ukraine's occupied territory, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Thursday. If the referendums go forward, the G7 will "pursue further targeted sanctions" against Russia, she warned.
The G7 ministers stated in a statement that voting cannot be "free and fair" with Russian forces present. The ministers condemned "deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilization of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric."
In a passionate address to the United Nations General Assembly, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged that Russia be punished for destroying his nation and told the world that his forces could drive out the invaders.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy, speaking remotely and in English, accused Russia of crimes against the "values that make you and me a community."
