Ukraine supporters outnumber pro-Russians in German protests

Pro-Russians staged demonstrations Sunday in Frankfurt and Hanover where they were outnumbered by Ukrainian supporters, local police reported.

Police said that around 600 pro-Russian protesters drove in a convoy of 400 cars carrying Russian flags through Hanover, northern Germany. Meanwhile, about 3,500 supporters from Ukraine gathered in the centre.

They stated that fences were erected to separate the pro-Russian protesters and the rival demonstration. However, both protests were generally peaceful.

According to late 2020 government statistics, around 235,000 Russian citizens reside in Germany. According to statistics from late 2020, around 135,000 Ukrainians were living in Germany prior to Russia’s invasion. However, an additional 300,000. have arrived since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Around 800 pro-Russian protesters marched through Frankfurt’s city centre after the local authorities denied permission for a motorcade. Some chanted “Russia” while others held a banner that read: “Truth, diversity, instead of propaganda.”

Around 2,500 pro-Ukrainian demonstrators gathered in Frankfurt at two other locations, waving “Stop War!” banners and carrying Ukrainian flags on their faces.

Local media reported that authorities said that protesters have the right to gather, but they would not tolerate Russian war propaganda or endorsements.

Some protestors in Frankfurt were reprimanded for shouting “Donbas belongs to Russia”, which refers to Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine in what he called a “special military operations” to demilitarize and “denazify Ukraine. The West and Ukraine both claim that Putin launched an unprovoked conflict of interest.