* Campaigners demand EU sanctions on Russian oil and gas
* Some European states oppose ban for fear of economic hit
* Protests in Berlin, Warsaw, Brussels, elsewhere in Europe
By Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS, April 22 (Reuters) - Climate change campaigners planned a wave of protests for Earth Day on Friday, pushing demands such as an immediate halt to European imports of Russian oil and gas and an end to building fossil fuel infrastructure.
In Europe, activists in Berlin, Warsaw, Brussels and elsewhere were set for rallies outside German government or embassy buildings, where they will hand out red-stained roubles to symbolize blood covering a currency they say is fuelling both climate change and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Germany is one of the EU countries opposed to an embargo on Russian oil and gas for fear of damage to their economies.
About a dozen activists in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv also planned a protest. Parts of Lviv were hit this week by Russian missile strikes that killed seven people.
"When Germany continues buying gas and oil from Russia, it means that they are paying their money to construct new military machines, new bombs, which are killing Ukrainians," Natalia Gozak, head of the EcoAction civil society group, said from Lviv.
Gozak said European politicians need to choose between an embargo's economic "inconveniences" and the deaths of Ukrainians.
In the United States, activists were also expected to rally in Washington D.C.
The protests aim to amplify demands for climate action on Earth Day, when people worldwide celebrate and mobilise in support of protecting the environment. They come three weeks after a U.N. climate scientist report warned https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/now-or-never-only-severe-emissions-cuts-will-avoid-climate-extremes-un-report-2022-04-04 there is little time left for reining in greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
Earlier this week, Ipsos MORI released a survey in which two-thirds of some 20,000 people queried in 31 countries on Feb. 18 and March 4 said they were worried about a climate-altered future.
EUROPE UNDER PRESSURE
Since Moscow's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has spent more than 38 billion euros ($41.21 billion) on Russian fossil fuel imports.
The EU's 27 countries have agreed to ban Russian coal imports from August, as part of sweeping sanctions also targeting Russian banks and business tycoons.
Countries including Italy and Germany have said they can wean themselves off Russian gas within a few years, and some European companies are already shunning Russian oil voluntarily to avoid reputational damage or possible legal troubles.