Russian envoy receives threats in Germany due to Victory Day celebrations
(MENAFN) German officials have warned Russian Ambassador Sergey Nechayev that he may be barred from participating in events commemorating the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany, sparking diplomatic tensions ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations. The warning followed Nechayev’s visit with the Belarusian ambassador to the Seelow Heights Memorial near Berlin, where they laid a wreath for fallen Soviet soldiers.
Axel Drecoll, head of the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation, stated that Russian participation in commemorative events has been prohibited since Moscow’s 2022 escalation in Ukraine. He suggested that if the ambassador continues to appear at memorials without authorization, he could be forcibly removed, with support from law enforcement.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Brandenburg state leader Dietmar Woidke reportedly support preventing such unapproved appearances. The Foreign Office had previously advised organizers to exclude Russian and Belarusian representatives from WWII-related ceremonies.
In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Germany of displaying "Russophobia" and elements of Nazism. Nechayev, however, dismissed the restrictions, stating that honoring Soviet war dead does not require an invitation and that public memorials are accessible to all.
Despite the warnings, Nechayev and diplomats from former Soviet republics laid wreaths at a military cemetery in Potsdam without interference. The ambassador emphasized that many Germans still value the Red Army’s role in ending the Nazi regime and continue to respectfully commemorate Victory Day.
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