Berlin protesters demand Putin's ousting and war's end
Hundreds of people, including Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and recently released political prisoners Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin, protested in Berlin, demanding an end to the war in Ukraine and the removal of Russian President Vladimir Putin from power.
The protesters marched on Sunday afternoon through the streets of Berlin, carrying banners with slogans such as "Victory for Ukraine," "Down with Putin," and "Freedom for Russia."
The demonstration was led by Yulia Navalnaya, wife of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, along with Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin, who were released on August 1 as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the USA and its allies.
The march began at Potsdamer Platz and proceeded through Friedrichstraße— the site of the former Checkpoint Charlie border crossing and the headquarters of the "Russian House," described by Moscow as the "cultural embassy" in Berlin. It ended near the Russian Embassy on Unter den Linden.
Up to 2,000 participants
According to the NEXTA channel, between 500 and 2,000 people participated in the event.
"Several hundred people responded to the call to join this protest near Potsdamer Platz in the heart of Berlin," reported Simon Young from DW. "This is an attempt to motivate Russians living outside Russia, many of them here in Berlin and throughout Germany, who want to express their opposition to Putin and their hopes for an end to the war," he added.
Demonstrators carried a large red banner with the English phrase, "No Putin. No war." The march aimed to amplify the opposition's voice against the Kremlin's actions.
