Overview

• Russian Ambassador Sergej Netschajew attended the Elbe Day commemoration in Torgau, despite not being officially invited and lacking a speaking slot.
• The German Foreign Ministry had recommended excluding Russian representatives from WWII remembrance events to prevent potential political misuse amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
• The Bundeswehr and US representatives withdrew from the event in protest, while Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev reiterated calls for a participation ban on Russian officials.
• Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer acknowledged Netschajew’s attendance but emphasized that Russia bears responsibility for ending its aggression in Ukraine.
• The event commemorates the 1945 meeting of US and Soviet troops at the Elbe River, a symbol of Allied unity, now overshadowed by current geopolitical tensions.