PREVIEW

Hundreds gathered at Berlin's Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten on Thursday, May 8, 2025, to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, as police enforced tight security and upheld a ban on Russian flags and symbols. The annual commemoration, which honors the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945, drew participants carrying Ukrainian, NATO, and European Union flags. Many flowers were laid at the memorial, some bearing ribbons inscribed with Glory to the Heroes, alongside Ukrainian national symbols. The solemn remembrance took place under heightened police presence, with officers deployed from across Germany. Access points to the memorial were controlled with fences and thorough inspections. Berlin police maintained a ban on Russian and Soviet flags, military uniforms, medals, martial songs, and symbols supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. The anniversary is a public holiday in Berlin, and commemorations took place across the city at multiple Soviet memorials