Kremlin crackdown silences Ukraine war protesters

The Kremlin has sought to control the narrative of the war from the moment its troops rolled into Ukraine

Police prepare to detain Dmitry Reznikov holding a piece of paper with eight asterisks (SOTA/AP)

Hundreds of Russians are facing charges for speaking out against the war in Ukraine since a repressive law was passed last month that outlaws the spread of “false information” about the invasion and disparaging the military.

Among them are a former police officer who discussed Russia’s invasion on the phone, a priest who preached to his congregation about the suffering of Ukrainians and a student who held up a banner with no words, just asterisks.