New Delhi: Various Russian Opposition leaders have expressed that they are against the current conflict with Ukraine. One of the prominent leaders Alexei Navalny said on Thursday that he was against 'the invasion of Ukraine' as he stood for trial from prison.


"I am against this war," Navalny was heard saying in a video of the in-prison trial published by independent news outlet Dozhd reported AFP.


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"This war between Russia and Ukraine was unleashed to cover up the theft from Russian citizens and divert their attention from problems that exist inside the country," he said.


Navalny said that war would lead to a huge number of victims, destroy futures and continue to impoverish Russia.


Aside from Navalny, other leaders and prominent people of Russia have shown that they are against the current situation.


Deputy of the Russian State Duma, Mikhail Matveev said, “I believe the war must be immediately halted”, has been the first Russian federal level lawmaker to oppose the Ukraine invasion.






Yuri Dudt who is a famous Russian television personality said that he hadn’t voted for this "regime" and that he felt ashamed in an Instagram post that received over a million likes. Ivan Urgant & Ksenia Sobchak television personalities criticized the bombings on social media as well.


A Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev wrote "No war please" on the camera lens after winning the match in Dubai.






Protests were seen in Moscow and St. Petersburg in solidarity with Ukraine. Thousands gathered chanting “No to war”. According to media reports, about 1400 people were detained by the police. Visuals of Russians leaving flowers were seen, people were also holding placards disapproving of the current situation. The same solidarity was seen throughout different countries including, Germany, France, the United States, Spain, Italy etc.










 


Social media flooded with people posting in solidarity with Ukraine these included celebrities, Russian football international Fyodor Smolov posted on his Instagram channel: “No to War!!!”














According to The Guardian's report, Valery Meladze, Russian most beloved singer, posted a video on Instagram “begging” Russia to stop the war. He said “Today something happened that should have never happened. History will be the judge of these events. But today, I beg you, please stop the war”, the report stated.


About 300 media journalists including representatives of state-run signed an open letter written by Elena Chernenko, the veteran diplomatic correspondent for Kommersant newspaper, reported The Guardian. Several such letters were written by academicians, human rights activists, and scientists which were signed by others including municipal workers.


Putin launched an offensive on Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday after a national address aired at around 5:40 am local time (0240 GMT).