Hundreds of people in Germany and Switzerland have staged rallies against NATO and its policies towards the crisis in Ukraine.

In Germany, the protesters gathered outside the parliament in the capital, Berlin, on Saturday to voice their anger at NATO’s policies in eastern Ukraine, where the government has been fighting pro-Russia forces for about 10 months.

Calling on the military alliance to leave Ukraine, they also protested at the German government’s alleged role in the Ukrainian conflict.

The protesters argued that such trend could eventually lead Germany to be engaged in a major conflict with Russia.

Meanwhile, a similar protest was held outside the Swiss city of Zurich’s town hall.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against Ukrainian armys killing of civilians and NATOs support for it.

They also expressed their opposition to Swiss medias anti-Russia propaganda over Moscow’s alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis.

The protests came after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced earlier this month that NATO would immediately be establishing command and control units in six eastern European states.

The Western military block has over the past year increased its presence and conducted several drills in Eastern Europe amid the crisis in Ukraine.

In 2014, NATO forces held some 200 military exercises with Stoltenberg promising that such maneuvers would continue.

Russia has condemned NATO’s exercises and military buildup toward its borders on numerous occasions.

Relations between Russia and NATO strained after Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea re-integrated into the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16, 2014.

The military alliance ended all practical cooperation with Russia over the ensuing crisis in Ukraine last April.

Last December, Russia approved an updated version of the country’s military doctrine which considers NATO military buildup as a major foreign threat against its national security.

The US and its European allies accuse Moscow of destabilizing Ukraine and have imposed a number of sanctions against Russian and pro-Russia figures. The Kremlin , however, rejects the accusation.