Overview
- The police order covers the Soviet memorials in Treptower Park, the Tiergarten site near the Brandenburg Gate, and Schönholzer Heide during Friday and Saturday.
- Flags of Russia, the former USSR, Belarus and Chechnya are barred, as are military uniforms, insignia, St. George’s ribbons, the V and Z war signs, Russian marching songs and portraits of current leaders.
- Ukrainian flags and symbols are allowed due to a 2023 court ruling, and veterans and accredited diplomats may wear certain items or use flags as part of wreath‑layings.
- Berlin expects multiple remembrance events and marches at the memorials, while a nationwide student strike against conscription plans protests in more than 100 cities with a Berlin march of about 2,000 planned.
- The federal culture minister called May 8 a day of liberation and warning, and the Berlin‑Karlshorst museum has begun updating its core exhibit and will host a new platform on German‑Russian history.