The huge protest came on the day European Union leaders gathered in Brussels to review relations with Russia over its conflict with Georgia last month.
Protesters, including Olympic champions, artists, celebrities, religious leaders and government officials have lined up along all of the avenues leading to the St. Trinity Cathedral, chanting "long live Georgia," "Georgia, our land," and "Russian occupiers, leave."
Traffic in the downtown area has been brought to a standstill. The human chain passed in front of the Russian Embassy building, and several protesters burned their Russian passports in front of it.
Similar protests are being staged in other parts of Georgia up to the Inguri River along the border with Abkhazia.
Georgia has called Russia's August 26 decision to recognize breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states an "annexation."
Most Western powers have joined Georgia in condemning Russia's military response to Georgia's August 8 attack on South Ossetia.
