Treptow does not exclude Russia from memorial events!

Treptow does not exclude Russia from memorial events!

In the run -up to the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on May 8, 2025, there are heated discussions about the participation of Russian representatives in memorial events in both Berlin and at the political level. The district office Treptow has now decided that it will not intervene if Russian diplomats are present at the celebrations in the district. This is done despite a recommendation of the foreign office, which advises against general exclusion of these representatives to central memorial events.

The spokeswoman for the district emphasizes the historical role of the Soviet Union in the liberation of Germany and Europe from National Socialism. This decision is in direct contradiction to the considerations that a political influence on the memorial events want to prevent in order to exclude instrumentalization by Russia and a connection with the current conflict in Ukraine. The Federal Foreign Office was concerned that the celebrations could possibly be used from the Russian side.

politics and outrage

The Federal Foreign Office advises not to invite no Russian or Belarusian representatives to the memorial events in order to prevent possible political instrumentalization of memory. In a statement, it was pointed out that President Putin abuse the memory of the victims. The Russian embassy in Germany reacted indignantly and described this recommendation as "extremely unfortunate". She emphasizes that May 8th for the peoples of the former Soviet Union is a holy day on which the 27 million deaths were intended in World War II. This not only includes Russians, but also Ukrainians and citizens of other nationalities that are considered Soviet victims, but are perceived differently by various governments.

the top goal of the federal government is to exclude the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus from the central commemoration on May 8. Parliamentary President Julia Klöckner has not invited these representatives, and the Bundestag also supports these exclusions to protect the integrity of the memorial events. The Ukrainian ambassador Oleksii Makeieev supports this decision.

reduced participation and commemoration

In Treptow, Tiergarten and Schönholz, memorial events are scheduled. The Russian ambassador Sergei Netschajew will take part in the celebrations in the Tiergarten and Treptower Park, while the Ukrainian ambassador will avoid these places. Despite the recommendations of the Federal Foreign Office, the Russian embassy emphasizes that it does not need a special invitation to take part in the publicly accessible memorial events.

The debate about the legitimate place for Russian representatives in these memorial events is particularly explosive, since the conflict in Ukraine has heavily burdened the historical references and the common history between Russians and Ukrainians. A common commemoration that took place in the past no longer exists.

Overall, the situation around the memorial events for May 8, 2025 remains tense. Both the political dimension and the emotional references to the victims of the war raise complex questions that are far from answered. Dealing with this memory will have a lasting impact on political debates in Germany.

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