The Eiffel Tower in Paris will be illuminated with the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag starting Friday in a show of solidarity after the  invasion by Russian forces, the landmark's operator said.

For three nights the monument will display the colours "in support of the Ukrainian people" at the request of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is also the Socialist party candidate for French presidential elections in six weeks.

Hidalgo attended a rally in Paris on Thursday to protest Russia's military offensive against its neighbour, which she denounced on Twitter as an "unjustified and criminal act" by Moscow.

The Eiffel Tower, which is lit up nightly on the hour with sparkling white lights, often changes colour to mark notable events, for example the blue, white and red of the French flag.

The government has also condemned the invasion that President Emmanuel Macron tried to avoid with a forceful diplomatic push.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting "to take Ukraine off the map of nations" as he sought to rebuild a Russian "empire".