Thousands March In Russia Anti-War Rally

The march drew tens of thousands in Moscow and is the first major protest since the conflict began in Ukraine five months ago.

The Associated Press reported that 20,000 people attended the march in Moscow, while the local police estimated the attendance at 5,000.

Protesters marched from Pushkin Square to Sakharov Avenue in central Moscow.

People carried Russian and Ukrainian flags as well as anti-war flags at the protest.

As they marched down the street, protesters chanted "No to war!" and "Stop lying!"

Ukraine and other nations accuse Russia of equipping the rebels with weapons and sending troops into the area, although officials in Moscow have denied this.

This protester wears a badge that reads, "No war!" and a sticker that says, "Take away your children from war."

A similar anti-war protest took place in St. Petersburg.

Moscow police stepped up their security in preparation for the protests.

At least one fight broke out between anti-war protesters and Russian nationalists.

This is the first major protest since the conflict began five months ago, after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula.

More than 3,000 people have died in the conflict so far.

A cease-fire was called on Sept. 5, but it has been repeatedly broken.

Negotiators worked on a deal to create buffer zones between warring sides and to pull back heavy weaponry, but Ukraine's national security council said the cease-fire must be respected before other agreements could be fulfilled.

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