Dresden – It’s high time! The association of the Dresden Semperopernball has revoked the ball medal awarded to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2009 because of his war against Ukraine.
The award was controversial even then. The club announced on Friday that the six-member board unanimously decided to withdraw.
Wars belonged neither in this time nor in this world and certainly not in Europe, it was said. “They cannot and must not be a means of resolving conflicts. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will not only cause untold suffering for many people in our neighborhood, but will also inevitably lead to an irreversible loss of culture and cultural values.”
The organizers of the ball said that this was sobering and bitter for an association that stands for peace, understanding and togetherness, for cultural cooperation and joie de vivre and that wants to build cultural bridges between people, countries and perspectives.
That is why Putin had to be denied the Saxon Order of Thanks he had been awarded “after in-depth consultations and discussions with everyone involved”. At the time, the Russian President had received it as Prime Minister for his efforts to promote German-Russian cultural exchange. The then Saxon Prime Minister Stanislaw Tillich (62, CDU) presented him with the medal and gave the laudatory speech.