The authorities are reportedly planning new restrictions on symbols at memorial sites in a move critics say distorts history
Russian symbols will be banned at key Soviet memorials in Berlin during Victory Day commemorations on May 8 and 9, Berliner Morgenpost reported, citing the authorities.
Berlin officials told the newspaper that a general decree is being prepared to block the display of Russian banners and commemorative items at the Treptow, Mitte, and Pankow memorials.
The anniversary of victory over Nazism and the end of World War II in Europe is celebrated on May 9 in Russia and many post-Soviet states. In Western countries, the event is observed on May 8, known as Victory in Europe Day, Liberation Day, or Victory Day.
“The police in Berlin will again issue a general order prohibiting the display of Russian flags and banners on Victory Day,” the report stated. The move is aimed at preventing “violence and the associated propaganda,” according to a police spokesperson quoted by Berliner Morgenpost.
The decree mirrors last year’s restrictions. In 2024, Berlin banned the flags of the Soviet Union, Belarus, and Russia, as well as wartime songs. The list of prohibited items extended to “any flags linked to Russia” and elements of military uniforms, even if altered. The St. George’s ribbon, a revered symbol of remembrance in Russia and several former Soviet republics, was also banned.
At the time, the Russian Embassy denounced the measures as “discriminatory” and accused Berlin of undermining “historical reconciliation,” demanding that “all the relevant bans be lifted.”
In 2023, activists challenged a similar ban in court. Although a German court initially sided with the plaintiffs and partially lifted the restrictions, police overturned the ruling, reinstating the prohibition.
Earlier this week, Bild reported that officials in Brandenburg plan to expel Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev from a ceremony marking the defeat of Nazi Germany. Despite the threats, Nechayev vowed to honor fallen Soviet soldiers. According to the tabloid, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Brandenburg’s minister-president, Dietmar Woidke, intend to prevent such appearances. The Federal Foreign Office had earlier advised organizers against inviting Russian and Belarusian representatives to WWII commemorations.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the move, saying it revealed the organizers’ “deep-rooted Russophobia.” Zina Schonbrunn, a member of Brandenburg’s regional parliament, called the exclusion of Russian participation in the 80th-anniversary Victory Day events “absurd.”
On Wednesday, Nechayev and diplomats from several former Soviet republics laid wreaths at a Soviet cemetery in Potsdam without interference. Nechayev said many German citizens still honor the Red Army’s heroic role in liberation.
