Germany: A Community of Russians Divided

Barricades, strict regulations, and thousands of police on duty: German authorities predicted May 9 would get heated. Commemorated as "Victory Day” in many former Soviet countries, the date marks 77 years since the surrender of Nazi Germany. But due to the war in Ukraine, the occasion took on a whole new meaning. The divide between Putin’s opponents and supporters was brought into sharp focus. Authorities banned the display of Russian and Ukrainian flags in the hopes of avoiding escalation. But emotions were running high at dueling protests, with demonstrators breaking out in verbal confrontations over Russia’s war in Ukraine. DW reporter Oxana Evdokimova shows the divisions in the Russian-speaking community in Berlin and why many Russians in Germany support Putin and the military aggression in Ukraine.