Overview

• Russian Ambassador Sergej Netschajew will attend the Elbe Day commemoration on April 25, 2025, despite not being officially invited and being denied a speaking role.
• Both the Bundeswehr and U.S. representatives have withdrawn from the event in response to Netschajew's attendance, reflecting heightened diplomatic sensitivities.
• The German Foreign Ministry had advised municipalities against inviting Russian officials to WWII commemorations due to concerns over political misuse amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
• Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer emphasized that the event cannot be separated from Russia’s current aggression in Ukraine, calling for an end to the war.
• Elbe Day marks the 1945 meeting of American and Soviet soldiers on the Elbe River, symbolizing wartime unity, but this year’s event highlights the challenges of balancing historical memory with contemporary geopolitical realities.