On the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, February 24, 2023, spontaneous memorials with flowers appeared in Russian cities in memory of the dead civilians. Support for Ukraine against the backdrop of the Russian invasion is now being expressed in all world capitals – for example, in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was lit up with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and in Berlin, the symbol of peace, the Pacific, was lit with candles. Citizens in Western countries take to the main squares with posters condemning the Russian invasion and Ukrainian flags. At the same time, in Russia, for such actions, one can now become a defendant in the case of "discrediting" the Armed Forces or "fake" about the army. More often, residents leave flowers, toys and photos of destroyed Ukrainian houses near monuments and leave, but in some cities they themselves go to protests or single pickets. Some of the spontaneous memorials are already controlled by police officers who are ready to detain Russians who disagree with the war.
Moscow
At the monument to Lesya Ukrainka in Moscow on the night of February 24, flowers began to appear, in the afternoon the police are already on duty at the spontaneous memorial. According to a SotaVision correspondent, there are no arrests. According to the journalist, the yellow-blue flowers have already been removed.
A spontaneous memorial appeared near the same monument to the Ukrainian poetess after a Russian rocket hit a multi-storey residential building in the Dnieper on January 14. As a result of the fall of the rocket, 45 people died , including six children. Russians who came to lay flowers were detained at the monument. Then spontaneous memorials in memory of the victims of the missile attack appeared in dozens of cities across Russia
Kazan
Residents of Kazan brought flowers, toys and photos of destroyed cities to the monument to the victims of political repression in Leninsky Garden. The photo is published by the Telegram channel "ChTD".
Tomsk
A spontaneous memorial appeared in Tomsk at the Poklonny Cross. According to TV2, residents brought flowers and a photo with the inscription "Dnepr 01/14/2023 Ukraine from 02/24/2022". According to the portal, police officers are already on duty at places where citizens can go to protest. At least eight police officers are on duty on Novo-Sobornaya Square, several law enforcement officers noticed at the Stone of Sorrow.
Khabarovsk
On February 24, residents of Khabarovsk took to single-person pickets, OVD-Info writes . One of the protesters, activist Nikolai Zodchy, was detained but later released. He was standing on the street holding a poster with screenshots of Russian President Vladimir Putin's speeches on Channel One.
Vladivostok
Another Russian was detained in Vladivostok, but later law enforcement officers released him without drawing up a protocol. He went to the central square of the city with an anti-war poster with the inscription "Do not fight," OVD-Info Live reports . The publication publishes a photo provided by the detained man.
Murmansk
A spontaneous memorial also appeared in Murmansk, the photo is published by Avtozak Live.
Ivanovo
In Ivanovo, a poster was hung on the bridge with the slogan “Enough of the bloody ‘struggle for peace!’” The photo is published by the Ivanov Free People Telegram channel.
Ekaterinburg
A rally in memory of those who died as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is also to be held at 13:30 at the Masks of Sorrow, a memorial to victims of political repression in Yekaterinburg. The meeting was announced by the Sverdlovsk Youth Yabloko. The publication It's My City reports that the security forces are already on duty at the memorial.
Material will be updated throughout the day