In Moscow, thousands march in protest of Russia's Ukraine policy

On Sunday, thousands marched in Moscow to protest the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the Kremlin's "irresponsible, aggressive policy" in the region.

It took weeks for Moscow police to grant the Parnas, Yabloko, and Solidarity opposition parties permission to march, the Los Angeles Times reports, and organizers were not allowed to speak to the crowd. The mostly peaceful march — which had anywhere from 5,000 to 26,000 people, depending on if you asked police or organizers — began in Pushkin Square and went about two miles to Prospect Sakharov, with just one skirmish between protestors and counter-demonstrators.

Several protestors said they did not think the protest would cause the Kremlin to change its course. "They still have an imperial mentality," a biology professor named Lyudmila told the Times. "What can you do?"

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Since fighting in Ukraine began in April, at least 3,000 people have died. Russian polls show that a majority of Russians are opposed to the country becoming engaged in war in Ukraine.