Detention Patterns and Russia's Anti-War Movement

• In Event: Prosecution as a Tool of Political Repression

Abstract

The Russian invasion of Ukraine spurred protest across the country, leading to thousands of detentions. While it seemed clear that protest detentions were more common among anti-war protesters than in previous movements, assessing this is complicated by the fact that turnout estimates for the early anti-war protests are generally not available. To what extent did these detentions replicate prior patterns of repression? I argue that more detentions are associated with demonstrations of loyalty to the autocratic federal center, and are therefore more common in regions that are more authoritarian themselves, as well as those that financially depend on federal transfers. I also consider the effects of local history of protest and detentions, and prior presence of an office of Alexey Navalny's organizations.

Author

• Sasha de Vogel, New York U