SHOWS: KIEV, UKRAINE (JUNE 13, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.

ACTIVISTS CARRYING BANNER BEARING PHOTOGRAPH OF IMPRISONED UKRAINIAN FILM DIRECTOR, OLEG SENTSOV, AND HASHTAG #FREESENTSOV 2.

RUSSIAN COAT OF ARMS ON RUSSIAN EMBASSY BEHIND BARBED WIRE 3.

EMBASSY BUILDING, SEALED WINDOWS 4.

GATES SEALED WITH CHAIN 5.

ACTIVISTS CHANTING (Ukrainian): "FREEDOM TO SENTSOV.

GLORY TO UKRAINE, GLORY TO HEROES!" 6.

WOMAN HOLDING POSTER BY UKRAINIAN ARTIST, ANDRII YERMOLENKO, DEPICTING SOCCER PLAYER KICKING A BALL IN DIRECTION MAN ON HIS KNEES ON EDGE OF CLIFF, MADE TO RESEMBLE EXECUTION 7.

POSTER / (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) KIEV RESIDENT, MARIA GURESH, SAYING: "I like very much how the artist managed to depict the whole essence of this event.

If the World Cup were held in another country which conducts peaceful policy and does not sponsor terrorism, which tries to do everything possible to ensure peace in the world, then it would be good.

But the fact that the World Cup is being held in Russia which is very aggressive is perfectly depicted on this poster." 8.

ACTIVISTS HOLDING UP POSTERS 9.

POSTER DEPICTING WORLD CUP MASCOT, ZABIVAKA, COVERED IN BLOOD 10.

ACTIVISTS HOLDING UP POSTERS 11.

UKRAINIAN FLAG 12.

UKRAINIAN ARTIST, ANDRII YERMOLENKO, SPEAKING 13.

POSTER DEPICTING HOURGLASS WITH SOCCER BALLS AND SKULLS INSTEAD OF SAND 14. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UKRAINIAN ARTIST, ANDRII YERMOLENKO, SAYING: "The most important was to make it (posters) go viral so that it will be shared in social networks.

It was an appeal mainly not to the Ukrainian community and not to the Russian community.

It was more an appeal to the European community, to the English-speaking public.

For this particular reason, these posters do not contain Ukrainian language and any Cyrillic (language).

It's more of a reminder for Europe." 15.

YERMOLENKO'S EYES 16. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) UKRAINIAN ARTIST, ANDRII YERMOLENKO, SAYING: "Oh no, of course soccer is sacred.

The fact that it (Russia) is a bandit is one thing, we have to live with it peacefully and try to understand that that is what its nature is.

But soccer is sacred and we got used to traveling in order to attend soccer matches since long time ago.

It's such a great celebration, it is beyond any politics and we can play." 17.

YERMOLENKO'S HANDS 18.

YERMOLENKO DEMONSTRATING HIS POSTERS POSTED ON FACEBOOK 19.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, DEPICTED ON POSTER AS GANGSTER WITH HANDS COVERED IN BLOOD SITTING ON PILE OF SKULLS 20.

YERMOLENKO USING COMPUTER MOUSE 21.

VARIOUS OF POSTERS BY YERMOLENKO 22.

YERMOLENKO LOOKING AT POSTER POSTED ON FACEBOOK STORY: Soccer players at the World Cup will not be kicking skulls around the field, but that is what they are doing in posters created by a Ukrainian artist as a protest against the event being held in Russia.

Andrii Yermolenko's black and red artwork and the hashtag BoycottWorldCup2018 have gone viral in Ukraine, whose relations with Moscow collapsed in 2014 over Russia's annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Some of the images blend soccer scenes with references to Aleppo in Syria or the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal.

Yermolenko posted the pictures on Facebook and they have since been shared by Ukrainian activists and state officials.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokeswoman Mariana Betsa retweeted one which shows a soccer player kicking an explosive projectile into an aeroplane - an allusion to the downing of flight MH17 over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in 2014.

The campaign to boycott the World Cup prompted some lawmakers to propose banning the matches from TV, but the motion did not get enough support when raised in parliament on June 7.

On Wednesday (June 13), a few dozen activists protested outside the Russian embassy in Kiev, some carrying Yermolenko's posters.

In Russia, jailed Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov is on hunger strike in an effort to highlight Russia's human rights record while the World Cup has attention focused on the country.

The tournament kicks off on Thursday (June 14) with a match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Ukraine's national side did not qualify.