On the night of May 7-8, unknown people hacked a video projection onto the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin ahead of Victory Day, showing the official symbol of the Soviet Union’s victory over Germany during World War II.
Previously, Berlin police prohibited Russian symbols, including those related to the war in Ukraine, on Soviet memorials, as well as the wearing of military uniforms. Russian flags, banners and other symbols also came under the ban in order not to provoke possible unrest in the capital.
The text on the banner projected on the gate translates as: “The 150th Idritsa-Berlin Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Motor Rifle Division of the 79th Rifle Corps of the 3rd Shock Army of the I Belorussian Front.” On April 30, 1945, units of that division stormed the Reichstag.
The Russian Embassy in Germany demanded the cancellation of the ban on the demonstration of Russian symbols associated with Victory Day.
The restrictions will reportedly be in place on May 8 and 9.
May 8 is known as Victory in Europe Day (VE Day). It is a day to commemorate the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany’s unconditional surrender on Tuesday, May 8, 1945. The event marked the official end of World War II in Europe on the Eastern Front, with the last known shots fired on May 11.
In Russia, Victory Day is celebrated on May 9.
