A Russian septuagenarian was arrested while demonstrating against the war in Ukraine, in Saint Petersburg (northwestern Russia).
In the video of the arrest, which currently has more than 5 million views on Twitter, the police can be seen walking towards her and taking her with them.
В Петербурге арестовали известную блокадницу Елену Осипову. pic.twitter.com/hZBvbH5AWJ
— ДАМА с ПЕРЕГАРОМ (@aperegarom) March 2, 2022
The protester, Yelena Osipova, is 76 years old. She is a survivor of the Siege of Leningrad held during World War II. During this one, the Nazis had besieged Saint Petersburg, then called Leningrad, for two and a half years. The siege had ended in a Soviet victory, at the cost of many human losses.
Russia has invaded Ukraine since February 24. While Kiev is regularly bombarded, more than 660,000 Ukrainians have already fled the country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In Russia, hundreds of people took to the streets of Moscow, Saint Petersburg and other cities to denounce the war led by Vladimir Putin.