More than 150 high-ranking Russian officials condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and warned their president of "catastrophic consequences" for the attack.

 More than 150 high-ranking Russian officials condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and warned their president of "catastrophic consequences" for the attack.

Over 150 Russian officials condemn Ukraine invasion

More than 150 high-ranking Russian officials condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and warned their president of "catastrophic consequences" for the attack.

The elected officials told Russian President Vladimir Putin there was no justification for the invasion, urging the Russian people not to participate in the effort and instead to speak out against the war.

"Hopes for a good life in Russia are crumbling before our eyes," the letter said, according to the Daily Mail. "We urge you not to participate in the aggression and not to approve of it. Please don't be silent: only massive popular condemnation can stop the war."

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Signatories of the letter included Moscow municipal deputies Elena Rusakova, Elena Kotenochkina, Elena Filina, Andrey Morev, and Maxim Gongalsky, as well as St. Petersburg officials David Kuvaev, Polina Sizova, Veliky Novgorod, and St. Petersburg deputy Anna Cherepanova. Many appear to be members of the Russian United Democratic Party, known as Yabloko, a social-liberal party that opposes Putin.

Western powers have made nonmilitary moves in an effort to curb Russian aggression. European countries, Canada, the United States, Japan, and Australia have decided to hit Russia with sanctions that financially cripple the country, and Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on Tuesday in response to Putin's Monday escalation.

Similar letters condemning the invasion have been written by Russian celebrities and journalists, including a letter signed by more than 200 Russian scientists and scientific journalists.

“By unleashing the war, Russia has condemned itself to international isolation and the position of a rogue state,” the letter, published on the scientific news website TrV-Nauka on Thursday, said. “This means that we scientists will no longer be able to do our job properly … Russia’s isolation from the world means the further cultural and technological degradation of our country.”

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Putin has a history of sidelining political opposition, often jailing dissenters such as Alexei Navalny. Moscow prosecutors warned that unapproved gatherings, including protests, are illegal and will lead to "negative consequences," according to the Moscow Times.

The Kremlin said Thursday that support for Putin's actions are high, with four out of five Russians backing Putin's invasion and declaration of Ukrainian cities Luhansk and Donetsk as separate entities from Ukraine. The invasion has led to at least 50 deaths so far.

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