ALL COMEDY IS CONSERVATIVE:

Protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine spread around the world Thursday ... including across Russia. By the end of the day, reports had more than 1,600 people arrested at protests in more than 50 Russian cities, with more than 900 of them in Moscow.

The protests in Russia were noteworthy because a brutal response was expected and explicitly threatened, with the government warning of "severe punishment for mass riots." As the arrest numbers show, that response did materialize.

Some prominent Russians also spoke out, The Washington Post reports:

Comedian and television presenter Maxim Galkin wrote on Instagram, "There can be no excuse for war! No war!"

Ivan Urgant, a presenter and actor on state television, posted on Instagram, "Fear and pain. NO WAR."

Liberal political analyst Vladimir Pastukhov called the attacks on Ukraine "the mistake of the whole nation," of Russia in a commentary on Echo of Moscow radio website.

Protests also popped up across Europe and beyond. Hundreds of people showed up outside United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office, The New York Times reports.

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