« Anti-war activists rallied in Berlin on Saturday at the Brandenburg Gate to protest against weapons deliveries to Ukraine and a de-escalation of the conflict.
Footage shows protesters holding banners, Russian and German flags, and signs reading ‘Stop the sanctions, they destroy our economy’, and ‘Against transatlantic heteronomy and occupation, for settlement with Russia and peace in Europe’, among others.
In the past months, numerous protests have been held across Germany, condemning the country’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict through the shipment of weapons to Kiev.
In mid-May, Germany announced a €2.7 billion ($2.9 billion) military aid package to Ukraine, marking its largest package since the start of the military offensive.
Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow. »
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