The German government warned against Russian attempts to “instrumentalize” events marking the 80th anniversary of World War Two after the Russian ambassador attended a local event in Seelow to commemorate the Battle of the Seelow Heights. The battle was one of the final battles in the war before the Soviet army’s march on Berlin. At least 30,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in this battle.
Earlier this year, the German Foreign Office had issued guidance to be cautious of Russian propaganda efforts during the 80th-anniversary events. The Foreign Office recommended municipalities not to invite Russian state representatives to commemorations, as there were concerns about Russia using the events to justify the attack on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had initially portrayed his invasion of Ukraine as dealing with “Nazis” using the legacy of World War Two to justify the attack. Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev criticized the presence of the Russian ambassador at the commemoration, given the ongoing conflict.
The Soviet Union suffered over 25 million casualties in what it calls the Great Patriotic War, and Moscow marks the victory with a massive annual military parade. Russia’s response to the German Foreign Ministry’s guidance was seen as an insult by forces it called “the ideological heirs and direct descendants of Hitler’s executioners.”
The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Russian domestic TV was present at the commemoration alongside a small group of locals. The deputy administrator of the Maerkisch-Oderland district stated that it would be “absurd” to prevent the ambassador from paying his respects to his compatriots and that he would be treated with respect.
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