MOSCOW (AP) - Thousands marched freely through Moscow on Sunday in support of Russia using military force in neighboring Ukraine, while at an anti-invasion protest nearby dozens were detained.
Russian state television ratcheted up its pro-invasion rhetoric over the weekend and showed what it claimed were buses full of refugees pouring across the Ukrainian border, fleeing what anchors call the "fascist thugs" who took power after Russia-leaning President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country last week after months of protest.
At least 10,000 people waving Russian flags rallied in central Moscow. Some dressed in Soviet military uniforms and shouted slogans like "Fascism will not pass!" and "No to Nazism!" - evoking parallels with the repulsion of Hitler's troops from Ukraine in World War II.
But at an anti-invasion protest near Red Square, dozens of demonstrators - one of whom held up just a blank piece of poster paper in protest - were quickly detained by police. The Associated Press witnessed more than 50 detentions and spotted at least five police vans, which carry between 15 and 20 protesters, driving away from the square.