During the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

and the resulting Russian occupation of multiple Ukrainian towns and cities, numerous cases of non-violent resistance against the invasion took place. Local residents organized protests against the invasion and blocked the movement of

Russian military The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces—two independent comba ...

equipment. The Russian military dispersed the protests, sometimes with live fire, injuring many and killing some. Most of the large protests ended in March.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

reports that protesters had been tortured in the south of the occupation zone.

Timeline

North

On 25 February, the city of Konotop was surrounded by Russian troops. On 2 March, at a gathering of city residents, the city's mayor, Artem Semenikhin (from the political party

Svoboda Svoboda () means "freedom" in various Slavic languages. It may refer to: People * Svoboda (surname) Organizations Media * Radio Svoboda, operated by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty * ''Svoboda'' (newspaper), a daily Ukrainian language newspa ...

), said that the Russian military was threatening to shell the city in case of disobedience and offered to resist. His proposal was followed by a

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding, often after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. Standing ovations are considered to be a special honor. Often they are ...

from the crowd. There were protests in

Slavutych Slavutych (, ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, purpose-built for the evacuated personnel of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the 1986 disaster that occurred near the city of Pripyat. Geographically located within Chern ...

on 26 March, as the battle of Slavutych escalated, with Russians attempting to occupy the city. According to reports, Russian troops had abducted the mayor of Slavutych, Yuri Fomichev; he was ultimately released in time to address a protest rally against the Russian invasion, which took place later that day in the city square. More than 5,000 city residents took part in the peaceful protest, until it was disrupted by Russian troops firing warning shots and launching

stun grenade A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, or sound bomb, is a Non-lethal weapon, non-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. Upon detonation, a stun grenade produces Flash blindness, ...

s into the crowd. At least one civilian was injured.

East

On 1 March, in

Kupiansk Kupiansk or Kupyansk (, ; , ) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kupiansk Raion. It is also an important railroad junction for the oblast. Kupiansk hosts the administration of Kupiansk urban hromada, ...

Kharkiv oblast Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...

, the Russian army dispersed demonstrations. In

Starobilsk Starobilsk (; ) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Starobilsk Raion. The modern settlement was founded in 1686, and it was granted city status in 1938. The city has a population of As a result of the ...

Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast (; ), also referred to as Luhanshchyna (), is the easternmost Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the n ...

, civilians blocked roads for Russian military forces. On 6 March, a crowd tore down and burned the flag of the LPR, which was raised by Russian troops near the local government building, and replaced it with the Ukrainian flag while singing the national anthem. On 3 March, civilians blocked the Russian military from entering

Svatove Svatove (, ; , ) is a city on the Krasna River in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Svatove Raion. Its population is It has been occupied by Russia since 2022. History After the proclamation of the s ...

in the

, while chanting Ukraine's national salute. On 4 March, after the occupation of Novopskov in the

by Russian troops, local residents protested under Ukrainian flags. According to ''

Ukrainska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

'', citing locals, one person was injured as a result of shooting at protesters. On 5 March, the local residents protested again against the Russian occupation, and warning shots were again opened on them. According to the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration,

Serhiy Haidai Serhiy Volodymyrovych Haidai (; born 6 November 1975) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian entrepreneur and politician. He was the Governor of Luhansk Oblast, head of the Luhansk Regional Military–Civil Administration from 25 October 2019 to 15 March 202 ...

, three locals were injured. On 5 March, a significant number of civilians carrying Ukrainian flags and singing the Ukrainian anthem marched through the streets of Bilokurakyne in the

. The march was stopped by Russian forces. On 6 March, there were protests in Troitske,

Luhansk oblast Luhansk Oblast (; ), also referred to as Luhanshchyna (), is the easternmost Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the n ...

. On 8 March, locals from

in the

gathered on the streets to protest against the occupation by Russian forces. Russian soldiers later threatened to disperse the rally by opening fire.

South: Zaporizhzhia

On 27 February, in Dniprorudne, the residents, along with the mayor, blocked roads to stop Russian troops. On 28 February, in

Berdiansk Berdiansk or Berdyansk (, ; , ) is a port city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, south-eastern Ukraine. It is on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, which is connected to the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Berdiansk Raion. The c ...

, when Russian troops had already entered the town, residents organised a protest, after which the Russians removed their technique from the city centre. Similar rallies are often repeated. On 20 March Russian troops opened warning shots, threatening the protesters, and repressed a demonstration. During 1–2 March, thousands of residents of Enerhodar blocked the city entrance for Russian military convoys. On 20 March, a rally against the kidnapping of residents and officials by Russian troops took place in the city. On 2 April, Russian troops violently dispersed the rally with explosions. On 1 March, in

Melitopol Melitopol is a city and municipality in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southeastern Ukraine. It is situated on the Molochna River, which flows through the eastern edge of the city into the Molochnyi Lyman estuary. Melitopol is the second-largest city ...

, local residents organised a protest rally during which they marched along the avenue from Victory Square to the SBU building, occupied by the Russian military. According to the online local publication ''Our City'', "unable to withstand the pressure utside the building Russian soldiers opened fire, first in the air, and then on the townspeople" and "one person received a gunshot wound in the knee". According to the

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

Ukrainian Service, local residents organised a peaceful protest under Ukrainian flags and accused Russian soldiers of shelling and looting shops. As of 10 March, processions through the Melitopol city centre were repeated daily. On 2 March, regular actions were held in Prymorsk. On 2 March, near the village of Vodiane in the

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Zaporizhzhia Oblast (), commonly referred to as Zaporizhzhia (), is an oblast (region) in south-east Ukraine. Its administrative centre is the city of Zaporizhzhia. The oblast covers an area of , and has a population of The oblast is an import ...

, local residents blocked the road for Russian troops. Negotiations were held between the mayor of Vodiane and the mayor of the neighbouring village of Kamianka-Dniprovska with a representative of the Russian side, who said that if the military convoy passed peacefully through the settlement to its destination, no one would be hurt; residents did not accept this offer. According to the mayor of nearby Enerhodar, at around 15:30 local time, Russian troops opened fire on the protesters, injuring two of them. On 7 March, there were protests in Tokmak.

South: Kherson

On 5 March, residents of

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

went to a rally with Ukrainian flags and chanted that the city is still Ukrainian and will never be Russian, despite Russian occupation. The Russian military opened warning fire on the protesters. At the same time, the

National Police of Ukraine The National Police of Ukraine (, ; /NPU ), often simply referred to as the (), is the national, and only, police service of Ukraine. It was formed on 3 July 2015, as part of the post-Euromaidan reforms launched by Ukrainian president Petro Por ...

published a video where a Kherson police officer, holding a Ukrainian flag in his hands, jumped on a Russian armoured personnel carrier that was driving past the rally, and local residents supported his action with shouts and applause. On 6 March, there were protests in Chonhar under the flags of

Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...

. On 6 March, during a rally in

Nova Kakhovka Nova Kakhovka (, ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Kakhovka Raion, Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. Nova Kakhovka has been under Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast, Russian occupation since February 2022. Its estimated population ...

, the Russian military opened fire on protesters indiscriminately "despite the fact that people were unarmed and did not pose any threat," resulting in at least one death and seven injuries. On 7 March, the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, according to Part 2 of Article 438 of the

Criminal Code of Ukraine The legal system of Ukraine is based on civil law, and belongs to the Romano-Germanic legal tradition. The main source of legal information is codified law. Customary law and case law are not as common, though case law is often used in support ...

(violation of the laws and customs of war, associated with premeditated murder), opened a criminal case on the deaths of several protesters. On 16 March, there was a rally in Skadovsk against the kidnapping of the mayor. In the city, civilians removed Russian flags from the government building. On 20 March, protesters in

confronted several Russian military vehicles and told them to "go home". On 27 April, the city council representatives were forced out, and a pro-Ukrainian protest was dispersed. In March, there were demonstrations in Oleshky, Henichesk, Kakhovka, Hola Prystan, Zaliznyi Port, Novotroitske, Chaplynka, and other cities in the

Kherson oblast Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...

.Жители Голой Пристани в Херсонской области вышли на митинг. Требуют от оккупантов вернуть похищенного мэра
- Hromadske 31.03.2022

References