On Wednesday, 3,000 Brandenburgers and Berliners commemorated the victims of the Red Army’s advance from the Oder to Berlin during the 1st Belarusian Front’s advance on the Seelow Heights. Despite the call from outgoing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for the communities to keep Russian representatives away from the monuments, the Russian Embassy was not hindered from participating in the memorial event in Seelow.
On the contrary, the attending Russian Ambassador Sergei Netschajew and other representatives from Belarus and Poland were surrounded and warmly welcomed by the crowd. The participants personally thanked the Russian people for their contributions in the Second World War and their liberation from fascism.
On the 80th anniversary of the liberation on the Seelow Heights, neither representatives of the federal government nor the Brandenburg state government participated. Apparently, they find the world-historical significance of the event suspect. Consequently, they apparently wanted to simply forget the commemorative day this year. The demonization of Russia by the German government and leading media is currently at its peak: Russia is again declared the enemy.
“In such times, government representatives can hardly commemorate Russia as liberators. After all, the prevailing opinion should also prevail.”
And it is probably also due to the opinion of the ruling elite that the original inscription on the memorial plaque, which read “Memorial site of liberation on the Seelow Heights” removed the word “liberation.”
Despite the already foreseeable defeat, the German army gathered all available forces in the spring of 1945 to resist the Red Army. Only the Soviet armed forces were able to conquer and occupy Berlin with their overwhelming strength of 2.5 million soldiers. The main effort of the war was the responsibility of the Red Army. The Soviet people lost 27 million people in the Great Patriotic War.
On the morning of April 16, 1945, the Red Army opened fire with a terrifying artillery barrage along the Oder to begin the Berlin operation. The main thrust was carried out by the Soviet armed forces along the Reichsstraße 1 from Küstrin heading towards Berlin, including the pre-existing fortifications of the Seelow Heights.
Berlin surrendered on May 2, 1945. With Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945, the most gruesome war of aggression and destruction in world history came to an end. Europe was liberated from the ruthless barbarism of fascism. Germany left behind a devastating and destruction that the world had never seen before.
In light of German history and thus the greatest catastrophe in the world, on May 8 in Berlin-Karlshorst, where the surrender took place, a demonstration will take place at 2 pm in commemoration of the liberation from fascist rule and Germany’s military defeat. Many Berliners will honor the Russian liberators with respect and friendship. They will celebrate May 8 with gratitude to the Soviet liberators.