The Kremlin says Russians protesting the war are "traitors." 15 have already been arrested.
"Many people are revealing themselves, as we say in Russian, as traitors," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
247 with Reuters - The Kremlin said that many people in Russia were proving themselves "traitors" and pointed to those who were resigning from their jobs and leaving the country. Since the beginning of the war on February 24, approximately 15 people have been arrested in the country for demonstrating against the war in Ukraine, according to the NGO OVD-Info.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments on Thursday (16), a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning to Russian "traitors" whom he said the West wanted to use as a "fifth column" to destroy the country.
"In such difficult times... many people show their true colors. Many people are revealing themselves, as we say in Russian, as traitors," Peskov told reporters in a teleconference.
"They disappear from society on their own. Some people are leaving their jobs, others are leaving their active professional lives, some are leaving the country and moving to other countries. That's how this cleansing happens."
He was referring to Putin's comment on Wednesday that Russia would undergo a natural and necessary "self-cleansing" as people were able to "distinguish the true patriots from the scum and the traitors."
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