In photos: Thousands across the world protest against Russian invasion of Ukraine

Thousands of people on Thursday denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine and showed up in cities from Tokyo to Tel Aviv to protest against it. Nearly 1,400 Russians who tried to do the same in their cities were arrested, Al Jazeera reported.

Russian forces began firing missiles at several cities in Ukraine on Thursday at dawn, after President Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” despite repeated warnings from world leaders that a war would bring a catastrophic loss of life. Explosions were audible in some of Ukraine’s largest cities, including Kyiv, the capital.

By evening, thousands of people defied police warnings to protest against the military action and shouted “no to war” slogans at Pushkinskaya Square in central Russia.

Over 700 protestors were arrested in Moscow and about 340 in Saint Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, said the OVD-Info monitor, which documents crackdowns on Russia’s opposition.

Reacting to the Russian military assault, a 23-year-old girl identified as Anastasia Nestulya, told AFP, “I am in shock. My relatives and loved ones live in Ukraine. What can I tell them over the phone? You hang in there?”

Svetlana Volkova, 27, said she thought the authorities “have gone mad”, reported AFP. “People have been fooled by propaganda,” she added.

Similar protests also erupted in Washington DC, London, Switzerland, Sydney, Paris, Swiss capital Bern.

Many Ukrainians were also seen crying outside Downing Street in London, as Russia pressed its invasion of their country, reported Reuters. “We need help, we need someone to support us,” said one of the protestors. “Ukraine is too small and the pressure is too big.”

“I feel that we are in a very dangerous moment for the whole world,” a protestors told Reuters in Paris. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that 137 people, including civilians and military personnel, were killed on the first day of Russia’s “military operation”.

Ukraine officials later said they had lost control of the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in human history.

Meanwhile, in Germany protestors carried a giant poster reading, “safe lives of people in Ukraine”.

Ukrainian authorities have compared Russia’s invasion of the country to the actions carried out by Nazi Germany during World War II.

In Dublin, a Russian double-eagle crest near the gate of the Russian embassy was defaced with red paint, while in Tel Aviv a protestor burned her Russian passport in support of Ukraine.