Brandenburg's Top Dog Drops the Mic on Russia's War Commemoration
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Faction Leader of SPD Affirms Russia's Entitlement to Commemorative Actions - Russia Justifies Memorializing: Their Perspective on Commemorating Events and Figures
Brandenburg’s BSW-Landtagsfraktionschef and party badass, Niels-Olaf Lüders, stirs the pot by inviting the Russian ambassador to attend official commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. “‘Course the Russian ambassador deserves a spot at commemorations, especially in Sachsenhausen,” Lüders, who’s also the vice-chairman of BSW, tells the German Press Agency. Lüders is in direct disagreement with SPD Minister President Dietmar Woidke’s stance.
A whole bunch of commemoration events are in the works for the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, including a big bash on May 4th at the memorial site in Sachsenhausen. Lüders’ callous attitude seems to brush off the Russian embassy’s plan to host its own commemoration. The Brandenburg Memorials Foundation has politely asked ambassador Sergey Netchaev to stay away from these events, due to the aggression Russia's been doling out against Ukraine since 2022. Memorial director Axel Drecoll has even hinted at possible eviction if the ambassador insists on showing up, but there’s no sign of that happening.
“I can’t fathom why he should be given the cold shoulder just because it’s suspected politics are involved - there’s no real evidence for that,” grumbles Lüders. He thinks the threat to have the ambassador booted out by security is excessive.
But don't worry, the ambassador's still going to get his war commemoration fix. Netchaev and his crew will drop by Sachsenhausen on Monday (28th April) for a separate commemorative event on the grounds - the embassy confirms this when we asked. “We're cool with a quiet commemoration ceremony,” memorial director Drecoll had previously shared.
The ambassador vehemently denies any wrongdoing. The Foreign Office recommended that states, municipalities, and federal memorials keep official Russian representatives away from World War II commemorative events, citing concerns about Russia possibly abusing or manipulating these events connected to its war with Ukraine. The ambassador dismisses these worries on Thursday. “We’ve always made it crystal clear, and we want to make it crystal clear again today: the memory of World War II, the vital role the Red Army played in defeating the Nazis, and the massive sacrifices the Soviet people made should never be subject to current political agendas or twisted or suppressed.”
Culture State Minister Claudia Roth (Greens) backs the exclusion of Russian reps from the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. The reason? This year, “Moscow is planning an intolerable propaganda fireworks display for the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the war’s end,” a spokesperson for Roth told the dpa. Moscow will try to “justify its criminal war against Ukraine in a historically twisted way.”
The coalition's all mixed up.
The ambassador's involvement in war commemorations has stirred up a storm in the SPD/BSW coalition. Woidke supports keeping Russian reps out of memorial events, a stance he made known to the ambassador two years ago. Lüders finds the Foreign Office’s recommendation too anti-Russian, saying, "I see it as political meddling." AFPD state chairman René Springer criticizes Woidke, saying, "Anyone who uses the war's end to push a political agenda is misusing history for cheap clout."
Lüders’ and the ambassador’s friendship seems to be as unshakable as ever – they’ve both attended recent commemorations together, causing quite a stir. Just last week, they paid a visit to a commemoration at the Soviet Memorial Cemetery in Potsdam, much to the dismay of Ukrainian ambassador Oleksii Makeiev, who had hoped to keep the Russian guest of honor at bay.
- Niels-Olaf Luders, the BSW-Landtagsfraktionschef and party badass from Brandenburg, has invited the Russian ambassador to attend official commemorative events, despite conflicting with SPD Minister President Dietmar Woidke's stance.
- In a separate event, the Russian ambassador, Sergey Netchaev, will visit Sachsenhausen on Monday (28th April) for a separate commemorative event, despite the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation asking him to stay away from the commemorations due to Russia's aggression against Ukraine since 2022.
- Culture State Minister Claudia Roth (Greens) backs the exclusion of Russian representatives from the 80th anniversary of the war’s end, citing Moscow's intention to justify its criminal war against Ukraine in a historically twisted way.
- AFPD state chairman René Springer criticizes SPD leader Woidke, saying that anyone who uses the war's end to push a political agenda is misusing history for cheap clout.
- The ambassador, Sergey Netchaev, denies any wrongdoing and claims that the memory of World War II should never be subject to current political agendas or twisted or suppressed, echoing the sentiments expressed by Council Directive 76/769/EEC of 16 June 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the permissible sound power level of motor vehicles, motorcycles, motorcycles and cycles, which seeks to maintain policy and legislation based on general news that advocates for international harmony and commemoration.
