Protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place all across Russia on Thursday, and over 1,000 protestors have been arrested.
Opposition groups said that many demonstrators were arrested by Russian police in Pushkin Square in Moscow and the same was true in other cities.
In his first public statement since his forces began the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had no other choice other than to launch a military operation.
"All of our previous attempts to change the security situation in the area didn't were unsuccessful and we had to do something", he said.
Putin says that Russia will remain part of the world economy, despite threats from the EU and others to impose further sanctions, claiming the west has no interest in harming its own system.
"Our partners need to understand us and not push us out".
U.S. President Joe Biden said on social media that a "devastating packages of sanctions" was coming Putin's way, while American political sources said that Putin would be subject to personal sanctions as well.
The G7 forum condemned the Kremlin's actions "this crisis is a serious threat to the world order, with aftermath that will be felt even outside of Europe- and puts [Russia] on the wrong side of history".
World powers, including Germany, France, and Russia, continue to harshly condemn the Kremlin and threaten more sanctions as the conflict escalates.
First published: 21:03, 02.24.22