Moscow authorities threaten protesters with up to 15 years in prison

The Moscow Prosecutor's Office released an official warning of responsibility after calls for people to participate in unauthorized public protests in the city, as well as to commit “otherwise unlawful acts,” as the agency put it, appeared on social media.

The document said that the “distribution of such materials” through social media, forums, and other websites, the involvement of teenagers in unlawful activities, and the organization or participation in illegal activities is subject to administrative or criminal penalty, “including in the form of imprisonment for up to 15 years.”

On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of the Russian armed forces. Immediately after, activists and opposition figures began calling for citizens to take to the streets in protest.