A woman holding an anti-war placard was detained in St Petersburg

Inna Kramarchuk
Inna Kramarchuk Journalist
A woman holding an anti-war placard was detained in St Petersburg
A woman holding an anti-war placard has been detained in St Petersburg
On 9 May in St Petersburg, Russia, police detained pensioner Lyudmila Vasilyeva whilst she was holding a solo protest with an anti-war placard. The woman had previously taken part in opposition and anti-war demonstrations

This was reported by OBOZ.UA. According to the media, Vasilyeva was detained near the Solovetsky Stone, where she was standing with a placard reading: “Do not use the people’s Victory to cover up your crimes”.

Who is Lyudmila Vasilyeva?

Lyudmila Vasilyeva is a child of the Siege of Leningrad. She has repeatedly taken part in anti-war and opposition pickets in Russia. Since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the pensioner has already been detained for participating in protest actions.

Previous detentions and fines

On 24 February 2025, Vasilyeva held a picket near Gostiny Dvor in St Petersburg with a placard reading: “People, let’s stop the war! We are responsible for peace on planet Earth.” Later, a court fined her in a case concerning the alleged “discrediting of the army”.

 

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