As Russian troops invade Ukraine, antiwar protesters have been gathering around the world to demonstrate against Russian aggression.

Thousands took to the streets on Saturday in major rallies across Europe while protests were reported as far away as Japan, Iran, Australia and the U.S.

Some of the protests have occurred in Russia, a country not used to outspoken activism. According to OVD-Info, which monitors human rights abuses in Russia, at least 492 people were arrested at antiwar protests Saturday in 34 Russian cities. That brings total arrests to more than 3,000 since protests began Thursday.

Elsewhere, many gathered at Russian embassies. In Dublin, demonstrators gathered outside the Russian Embassy for a third consecutive day, RTE reported. Some Irish politicians involved in the protest were calling for Russian Ambassador Yury Filatov to be expelled from the country.

In London, thousands gathered outside the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Kensington. Local media reported that some protesters were throwing eggs at the building. At events in Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol, protesters called on Vladimir Putin to withdraw, the Daily Mail reported. Protests also took place outside the prime minister's residence at Downing Street.

In Germany, thousands of people protested Saturday in Munich and other German cities, DW reported. A protest scheduled for Sunday near the Brandenburg Gate is expected to draw 20,000 people.

"Everybody is scared," one protester in Munich's Karlsplatz square told DW. "We had peace for 80 years and all of a sudden, war is back in Europe."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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