Silence. At 2:09 p.m., people pause on Strasse des 17. Juni. Nobody telephones between the Victory Column and Brandenburger Tot, nobody talks to their neighbors. It is a minute’s silence for the victims of the war against Ukraine, a minute’s silence for peace. “It’s impressive when 500,000 people hold their breath,” the speaker then heard over the loudspeakers. The applause of the demonstrators swells, echoing thousands of times through the Tiergarten. Berlin has not seen such a demonstration of hundreds of thousands for a long time. The police estimate the number of participants in the lower six-digit range. 20,000 were registered.
Signs can be seen: “Stop Putin”, “Solidarity with Ukraine”, “Russians stand with Ukraine” or “Disarm the men” can be read on them. Blue and yellow flags are waved everywhere, the flag of Ukraine. The Russian memorial is cordoned off with bars, which crowds of people push past. Most of them wear mouth and nose protection, quite a few in the Ukrainian colors.
Julia Felker and her husband Bernd are standing in front of the bars. The 48-year-old holds up an A4-sized piece of paper, clearly visible to the stream of protesters. It says: “It’s your war, Putin, not of the Russian People”. Julia Felker is Russian, she comes from St. Petersburg, she has been living with her husband in Berlin for 16 years.
Benjamin Pritzkuleit
Julia Felker says Putin’s war is not her war. She has never been so ashamed to be Russian.
Felker has a clear opinion on the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine. “This is Putin, this is not the Russian people,” she explains. She was ashamed for the first time in her life. Julia Felker has friends and relatives in Ukraine, she calls them every day. “We cry together, it’s so terrible,” she says.
Maryana is 22, she has a Ukrainian flag tied around her shoulder, holds her cell phone up to film the many people – including Julia Felker. Maryana comes from the Ukraine and met her boyfriend on a short trip to Berlin. “I am sending the video home to my sister and parents who are still in Kiev. They should see that there are people who stand by them,” she says. She calls the war madness, a crime. “But these many people who support us are real friends. They encourage you.” Berlin is great.
An alliance of initiatives, environmental protection organizations, trade unions, churches and peace groups took part in the demonstration under the motto “Stop the war! Peace for Ukraine and All Europe” and 20,000 participants registered. Putin has instigated a war, he is crossing borders and is dramatically violating international law, according to the call, which was followed by many people this Sunday. “We are overwhelmed by the number of participants,” says Nora Neye from the German Federation of Trade Unions.
Benjamin Pritzkuleit
Eva (right) is a doctor and is demonstrating with her friends from Lithuania against Putin’s war.
Eva is a doctor and 28 years old. She is Lithuanian. She came to the demo with her friends. She didn’t have to think much, she says. “We live in the 21st century and a war in Europe seemed unthinkable.” It is important to show Putin that the people of Europe want to live freely and democratically. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there was fear in Lithuania but also in the other Baltic states that the war would come to them too.
“Fuck Putin” says the poster that Philipp Tannhäuser is holding up silently. The 36-year-old is an IT architect from Berlin. Regarding his participation in the protest rally, he says the world must show Putin that this is not the way to go. He has no connections to Ukraine, but feels very close to the people there. “It gave me chills when it was said that Ukrainians between the ages of 18 and 60 were no longer allowed to leave their country because they had to fight,” says the 36-year-old. He was afraid of what might come. However, it is a good feeling when he sees so many people taking to the streets against the war in Ukraine all over the world. “The world has moved closer together, and this demonstration here in Berlin is a very strong sign.”
Benjamin Pritzkuleit
Philipp Tannhäuser is afraid of a war in Europe.
Dörte and Christian Groß and their three children from Fürstenberg in Brandenburg are also running for peace. They have self-made posters with them. “You get the feeling that you can’t do much as a non-politician. That’s why we fly the flag,” says the 46-year-old father. His children, ten-year-old Alina and six-year-old twins Ellen and Friederike, have already realized what the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine means. “It was unimaginable that the war would become real,” says Alina, who is in fifth grade. Since last year she has had a boy in her class who comes from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the police are asking the people still streaming from the Brandenburg Gate not to continue towards the Victory Column, where the rally is taking place. The train hardly moves. Then comes the announcement that 12-year-old Jamie is missing. The boy has a poster with him, says the police officer. Thunderous applause resounds as he describes what the poster says: “I hate Putin.” Shortly afterwards the boy is back.
For more than an hour, new demonstrators are still coming onto the 17th of June Street. Families are among them, seniors and young people. An elderly gentleman points to his sign, which reads: “Every war is inhumane.” He says he used the poster to demonstrate against the war in Iraq 19 years ago. At that time he protested against the American President, today it is the Russian President.