Hundreds of people have been arrested by authorities as protests against Russia’s new “partial mobilisation” continue across the country.

The Kremlin has ordered the partial mobilisation of reservists in response to what it says is a deteriorating security situation in Ukraine.

But the move has been met with widespread opposition, with many seeing it as a pretext for fresh military action. On Monday, police detained more than 200 people in Moscow during a protest against the mobilisation.

Another 150 were arrested in the city of St Petersburg. The arrests came as several thousand people took to the streets of both cities to voice their anger at the Kremlin’s decision. Demonstrators chanted slogans such as “No to war!” and “Putin is a liar!”

The independent monitoring group OVD-Info said more than 500 people had been detained in total across Russia.

Heavy handed

In Moscow, police used batons and pepper spray to disperse the crowd and make arrests. Several protesters were seen being dragged away by officers.

The demonstrations came a day after Russia’s top general warned that the country was prepared to use nuclear weapons if its security was threatened.

Gen Valery Gerasimov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Moscow would now respond to any threat with “a weapon of comparable or ‘greater’ power”.

The comments were seen as a stark warning to the West amid fears of a new arms race.

Worsening relations

Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with Western countries imposing sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine. Tensions have also risen over Moscow’s involvement in Syria and its alleged meddling in Western elections.

The partial mobilisation announced last week is likely to increase tensions further. Under the plan, reservists will be called up for training later this month and could be deployed to crisis zones if necessary.

President Vladimir Putin has insisted that the move is not linked to any specific event or threat but is needed to ensure Russia’s security. However, many believe it is a response to NATO’s increased activity near Russia’s borders.

Putin has sought to downplay fears of a new Cold War, saying that there is no intention of confrontation.

But with relations already at a low ebb, there are concerns that the partial mobilisation could lead to further escalation.