More than 13,000 people have been arrested in anti-war protests in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began Feb. 24.

While the majority of arrests have taken place in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia’s two largest cities, protesters have been detained in more than 150 cities in a sign of the pent-up anger about the war that is felt across the country.

Anti-war protests have continued even as President Vladimir Putin renewed his clampdown on free speech. On Friday, a new law was enacted that threatened anyone spreading “false information” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with up to 15 years in prison. Facebook, Twitter and all major foreign media were also blocked as the Kremlin seeks to control the narrative in Russia, which faces an economic crisis as a result of Western sanctions.

Despite the risks, Sunday saw the highest single-day tally of protester arrests in recent memory. More than 5,300 protesters were detained across 74 cities, according to OVD-Info, an activist group that tracks protests in Russia.

People were seen chanting “No to war!” on St. Petersburg’s central avenue, Nevsky Prospekt, and on Moscow’s Manezhnaya Square, just outside the Kremlin walls.

Photos and videos from the ground, which have become more scarce in the days since the new censorship law, show the sharp police response to the protests. Officers were seen pinning protesters to the ground and beating some with batons.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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