The rallies were organized by the Union party.
"Close contacts between the fraternal peoples of Russia and Ukraine have taken centuries to develop and neither the present nor the future authorities are entitled to destroy them," rally participants said.
"The severance of relations is a crime against citizens of our country, history, memory of our fathers and grandfathers and the future of our children and grandchildren," the protesters said.
"Unbalanced and sharp declarations and discriminatory decisions regarding Russia taken by officials aggravate the crisis between our countries and peoples."
"The severance of relations with Russia will affect our entire country, especially the east and south of Ukraine. This is why people in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions are the first to raise alarm," the protesters said.
Union party leader Alexei Kostusev said: "The economy and culture of Ukraine have close ties with Russia as with no other country."
"This concerns all enterprises, above all, the defense and heavy industries, because Russia has been the main strategic and economic partner of our country," Kostusev said.
According to him, the Union is the only political force in the country which come out for the interstate union of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus "without customs and borders, for the national status of the Russian language, strong regions and the market economy based on private property and competition."
Since May 21, Union activists have been collecting signatures across Ukraine for making Russian a national language.
"Over 200,000 signatures have already been collected," the Union party press service told Novosti-Ukraine.
