A pro-Russia march has taken place in Germany as the brutal war in Ukraine continues. Around 600 protesters travelling in around 350 vehicles made their way through the town of Hanover in the north of the country, while around 800 marched through the streets of Frankfurt.
The shocking site of such an open display amidst the invasion of sovereign Ukraine will come as a shock to many in Germany and wider Europe.
It is thought that many of those who took part in the demonstration were Russian citizens, many of whom waved Russian flags and displayed images of President Putin while chanting 'Russia!'. Some at the demonstration said that Russians were being discriminated against in Ukraine and that they had to protect their nation. Over 200,000 Russians live in Germany.
While authorities had allowed the march to go ahead, it said that they would not tolerate open support for the military operation or pro-Russia military propaganda. Several pro-Russians were arrested in Frankfurt after they displayed a banner reading: 'Donbas belongs to Russia'. The Donbas is a region of Eastern Ukraine populated by many Russian speakers, some of whom wish the territory to move under the control of Moscow.
The demonstrations were met with large pro-Ukraine demonstrations. 2,500 pro-Ukrainians were seen in Frankfurt and 3,500 were gathered in Hanover, where they held signs saying: 'No War' and 'No to Putin'. The police separated the protestors with fencing and kept a firm grip on proceedings.
While 135,000 Ukrainians lived in Germany before Russia's invasion, another 300,000 have arrived as refugees since the war began.
These are not the only pro-Russian demonstrations to have occurred since the invasion. Small demonstrations in support of Russia's illegal acts have been seen in places such as Serbia, Ireland and in Greece. In the latter, these were once again dwarfed by pro-Ukraine demos.
Russia is expected to launch a massive attack on eastern Ukraine, potentially in the coming days and weeks, which follows their humiliating defeat in the north of the country that is said to have already cost them over 20,000 lives.
[Based on reporting by: yahoo!news]
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