It was five in the afternoon in Moscow when a public demonstration formed at the heart of the Russian capital. A vast police presence stood ready to deter any protest and many security units patrolled the streets. Dozens of police vans waited nearby to detain anyone deemed necessary. Only a handful of people managed to reach the area before riot police moved them into vehicles.
Some protesters later said they did not know what had happened as they were being taken away, and a few approached journalists to ask what was unfolding. The scene centered on Chistyye Prudy Boulevard, where a young woman who spoke out before being arrested managed to shout, “we are not cannon fodder” several times before being seized by a crowd in full riot gear.
Natalya, in a wheelchair after losing a leg, stood with a banner asking, “Do you want to be like me?” The police closed in and forced him to lower the banner in view of witnesses and journalists. He later told EL PERIÓDICO that he feared arrest, yet felt the protest was necessary, as he expressed in an interview.
Approaching the area gave a sense that something significant was underway. On a nearby subway platform, officers questioned men about their passports and whether they were on a reservist list. Outside the station, more agents checked departing travelers’ documents as a security dragnet expanded beyond the metro.
“Votes” in Donbass
Meanwhile the occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine were preparing to vote, with polling running through September 27. The Kremlin sought to strengthen its claim to annex the territory through these referendums.
Civilians in the affected areas reported that security forces compelled them to vote, or even came to their homes to press them into participating. Russian soldiers accompanied officials as they collected ballots at private residences.
There was a sense of a mobile referendum taking shape, with footage and reports noting that two soldiers with weapons were present as people were asked to cast ballots, sometimes inside their own homes. A regional photograph circulating on social media showed the chaos in Zaporizhzia as voters faced intimidation.
The U.S. president, Joe Biden, labeled these referendums as a nonsensical and coercive effort to annex parts of Ukraine, violating international law. Beijing also weighed in, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressing at the United Nations General Assembly that sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected for all states.
Experts and observers noted the international implications of these actions and emphasized the need for cautious diplomacy and verification of reports from the ground. The situation remained fluid, with Western officials urging restraint while condemning coercive practices and urging adherence to international norms.