The Kremlin has urged Russians to “unite” around President Vladimir Putin, more than one week after he ordered troops into neighbouring Ukraine.

Anti-war protests have taken place in a number of Russian cities since the invasion began on February 24, with police detaining more than 8,000 participants, according to OVD-Info, a rights group tracking political arrests. Meanwhile, a number of prominent Russians have also joined a chorus of international condemnation of the war.

Now is not the time to be divided,” the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday, responding to a question on pleas from public figures to end the war.

“Now is the time to unite, to unite around our president,” he said.

Since Russia began what it calls its “special operation”, Russian public figures have been divided.

“Yes, indeed, there are heated debates among cultural figures,” Peskov said. “Many support the president, sincerely the president. There are those who completely misunderstand the essence of what is happening,” he added.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/4/unite-around-putin-kremlin-urges-russians-amid-ukraine-war