Ukraine war: The Russians risking freedom to protest against Putin's invasion

The next morning, we set off to inspect the graffiti that Mitya and Vorobei had painted in front of the school. It is a crisp, clear morning in St Petersburg, and the anti-war message is easily visible to dog walkers in the morning sunshine. But it survived just a few hours before it was painted over.

Vorobei says the group hopes the demonstrations will attract others: "If someone was indifferent before, if they see our poster or sticker, maybe that person will decide they don't support the war."

Being an anti-war activist in Russia is dangerous. Rights groups say there have been more than 16,000 detentions across the country for anti-war actions. Very few people now publicly oppose the war. Those who do speak out risk arrest or losing their job, university place or business.

"There were [street] protests against the war in the first week," Vorobei explains.

"They were all broken up in the most violent way - the police use tasers, batons, there's complete helplessness. And then you might get tortured in the police station. It's absolutely terrifying," says Mitya.

The authorities say the vast majority of Russians support what the Kremlin refers to as the "special military operation" in Ukraine, and they deny allegations that activists are persecuted.

It is very difficult to gauge how many people in Russia oppose the war. Both state polls and those conducted by independent researchers put the level of public support for the military campaign at around 70%.

However, critics say opinion polls cannot be trusted in an authoritarian system like Russia, as people often give a dishonest response for fear of repercussions. Russians are often reluctant to talk about politics openly with strangers.