Berlin police have imposed strict restrictions on Soviet and Russian symbols at the city’s World War II memorial sites for this year’s commemorations on May 8 and 9, continuing a practice introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
As Berliner Morgenpost reported, the restrictions apply to three Soviet war memorials: in Tiergarten, Treptower Park, and Schönholzer Heide. The orders are modelled on those issued in previous years and are set to be published in the coming days.
What Is Banned
The restrictions prohibit flags of the former Soviet Union, Belarus, and the Russian republic of Chechnya — but not those of Ukraine, following a legal challenge by Ukrainian associations. Also banned are military uniforms or parts thereof; military insignia; the display of the letters “V” or “Z”; and St George’s ribbons, which have become a widely recognised symbol of support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Portraits of the Russian, Belarusian, and Chechen heads of state may not be displayed publicly. The playing or singing of Russian military marches is also prohibited, as is the display of any symbols glorifying the Russian-Ukrainian war — including maps depicting Ukraine without its Russian-occupied territories and flags of Russian-annexed separatist regions. Partial exemptions apply to diplomats and World War II veterans.
The Legal Precedent
Last year, an organisation challenged the restrictions in court, seeking emergency permission to display Soviet flags at the Treptower Park memorial. The administrative court rejected the claim, ruling that the restrictions were justified by the need to preserve public order and ensure a dignified commemoration. The court found that, in the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, Soviet flags had acquired a significance capable of conveying a readiness for violence and that the “impression of a victory march” they projected undermined the dignity of the victims.
The Night Wolves Factor
A particular concern for Berlin police in previous years has been the so-called “Night Wolves” — a Russian motorcycle gang closely associated with the Kremlin, known for staging convoy rides to Soviet memorials on May 9 as what they call “victory rides”. The German chapter, Night Wolves MC Germania, has been on the EU sanctions list since 2022 due to its pro-Kremlin stance on the war in Ukraine, while the Russian parent club is barred from entering the European Union entirely. As of the time of reporting, police said it was not yet clear whether the group planned to appear this year.
Why It Matters
Stephan Weh, Berlin chief of the police union GdP, defended the restrictions as a proven tool for preventing conflict. “In recent years, both the approach and its implementation have nipped the considerable conflict potential surrounding Russia’s war of aggression in the bud,” he said, adding that the same conditions were “absolutely sensible” to apply again this year. He also noted that the broader geopolitical conflict continued to place significant strain on Berlin’s security resources, calling on the federal government to take greater responsibility for the capital’s protection needs.
May 9 — marked in Russia as Victory Day — has been systematically used by the Kremlin since February 2022 as a propaganda vehicle to legitimise and ideologically glorify its war against Ukraine. That framing finds receptive audiences among pro-Russian groups and factions in Germany, making the management of commemorations at Berlin’s Soviet-era memorials a recurring test of the city’s capacity to balance historical memory with public order.