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Tens of thousands of people rallied in cities across Europe on Sunday to protest against Moscow’s war in Ukraine, with small vigils taking place in Russia despite a crackdown by authorities.
German trade unions called a protest in Berlin, where sunny weather boosted the turnout.
The march led from the city’s Alexanderplatz, a large square named after Russian tsar Alexander I, to a site near the Brandenburg Gate.
Many participants carried flags in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine, while others held banners that read “Stop the war” and “Peace and solidarity for the people in Ukraine”.
Norbert Herring, who held up a sign that read “What are you doing to your neighbour?” as the crowds filed past the Russian embassy, said the images from Ukraine reminded him of the bombing of cities during the Second World War.
Some participants at the Berlin protest said they were Russians ashamed of what their country was doing.
“We’re against this war so we wanted to show our solidarity,” said Aleksandra Belozerova, a Russian studying in Germany.
“It’s the least we can do in this situation.”
Her friend Aliia Biktagirova held a sign with protesting against the censorship she said was taking place in Russia concerning the conflict.
In Russia, where demonstrations against the war in Ukraine have been met with a heavy police response, human rights group OVD-Info said more than 668 people had been detained in 36 cities as of the late afternoon.
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Police officers detain a woman in central Moscow, during a protest against Russian military action in Ukraine. AFP -
Children look at phones as people who fled the conflict in Ukraine wait outside an immigration office in Brussels, Belgium. Reuters -
Soldiers stand next to a bus with a damaged windscreen, after an attack on the Yavoriv military base, in Novoyavorivsk, Ukraine. Reuters -
A soldier waits at a hospital after the attack on the Yavoriv military base. Reuters -
A wounded soldier is transported by medical workers, at a hospital in Novoyavorivsk, after the attack on the Yavoriv military base. Reuters -
Rescuers work at the site of an accident after a bus that was carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned near Forli, central Italy. One person died in the crash. AFP -
A man wounded in the air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital. Getty Images -
Paramedics find low ground after an air-raid siren sounds on the outskirts of Novoiavorivsk. Getty Images -
A view of a residential building damaged during an air strike, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters -
A tram damaged by shelling sits at a depot, in Kharkiv. AP -
An abandoned doll next to a car riddled with bullets in Irpin, north of Kyiv. AFP -
A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier in Irpin. AFP -
Residents try to strengthen the wall of a house damaged by recent shelling, on the outskirts Kyiv. AFP -
Firefighters extinguish a blaze at a house after shelling in Kyiv. AFP -
A convoy of pro-Russian troops outside the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. Reuters -
Smoke from shelling rises behind a wreath at a cemetery in Vasylkiv, south-west of Kyiv. AP -
A woman stands outside a local hospital, damaged during fighting in Volnovakha. Reuters -
People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during clashes in Volnovakha. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier leaves a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv. AFP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. AFP -
A finance police officer boards Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko's superyacht, which has been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, Italy. Reuters -
A Russian KA-52 gunship strikes a Ukrainian military object. AFP -
Bystanders watch what appears to be Russian forces arresting Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, a city in south-eastern Ukraine. Reuters -
Firefighters battle a blaze at a warehouse storing frozen products hit by shelling in Kvitneve, Kyiv region. Reuters -
A soldier loads the cargo hold of a chartered Boeing 747 airplane with duffle bags belonging to US soldiers, during their deployment to Europe, at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia. AP -
Two young girls pray for peace in Ukraine at Lisbon's 16th century Jeronimos Monastery. AP Photo -
A volunteer of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces walks on the debris of a car wash destroyed by Russian bombing in Baryshivka, east of Kyiv. AP Photo -
Volunteers pass an improvised path under a destroyed bridge as they help an elderly resident in Irpin, north-west Kyiv. AP Photo -
A woman who was evacuated from Irpin kisses a cat wrapped in a blanket at a triage point in Kyiv. AP Photo -
An explosion is seen in an apartment building after a Russian army tank fires in Mariupol. AP Photo -
A Russian army tank moves through a street on the outskirts of Mariupol. AP Photo -
Tonya Steyn, office manager and volunteer co-ordinator, sorts through medical supplies at the non-governmental organisation, SOS International headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. AFP -
An overview of damaged buildings and burning fuel storage tanks at Antonov Airport in Hostomel, north-west of Kyiv. Maxar Technologies / AFP -
The destroyed main building of school number 25, after being bombed in Zhytomyr. EPA -
A supporter holds a sign to support Ukraine during Paris' mayor and 'Socialist party' (PS) presidential candidate's campaign meeting in Rennes, western France. AFP
There was a heavy police presence at central locations including Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, with officers carrying demonstrators away to waiting police vans, in footage posted by Russian media.
The number of people protesting nationwide appeared to be far fewer than the last major protests a week ago, when OVD-Info listed more than 5,000 people who were detained.
Anti-war protests were also staged in Warsaw, London and the German cities of Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
A small far-right party organised a protest in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, in support of Russia’s invasion.
The occupants of dozens of cars waved Russian and Serbian flags, honked horns and chanted slogans in favour of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Some cars had “Z” painted on them — the letter used on Russian armoured vehicles in Ukraine and now a symbol of support for Moscow's troops.
Despite formally seeking EU membership, Serbia has refused to join international sanctions against its ally Russia, despite voting in favour of the UN resolution condemning Moscow’s aggression.
The country’s dominant state-controlled media carries frequent pro-Russian reports about the war.
One day after rallies in Florence and Naples, Italians and Ukrainians who live in Italy turned out for protests in Milan and Rome on Sunday.
In the first row of a march in Milan, Italy’s financial capital, protesters held bloodied cloth bundles to represent children killed in Russian attacks on Ukrainians.
Some children held drawings and many marchers painted their cheeks in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
In Rome, Pope Francis decried the “barbarianism” of the killing of children and other defenceless civilians in Ukraine.
He told a crowd of about 25,000 gathered in St Peter’s Square for his customary Sunday noon appearance that the attacks must stop “before cities are reduced to cemeteries”.
In Cyprus, dozens of Russian nationals joined Ukrainians in the coastal resort town of Limassol on Sunday to protest against the war in Ukraine.
About 50 Russians converged on the town’s promenade before joining other protesters to chant slogans such as “Stop the war, stop Putin”.
They waved blue-and-white flags they said were the Russian national flag without the red stripe that represented “blood and violence”.
