The wreck of a Russian tank arrives in the center of Berlin, following the example of other cities

A destroyed Russian tank from Ukraine is on display near the Russian embassy in central Berlin. The judge puts aside the objections of the city council and gives the green light to the initiative of two museum owners.

They say they were inspired by similar actions in Kiev, Prague and Warsaw.

Immediately after the war in Ukraine, the destroyed and abandoned Russian tanks were towed by the Ukrainians to the center of the capital Kiev. There they are displayed on a large square to show the population that Russia is not invincible.

On the initiative of the Ukrainian and Polish governments, several tanks were set up this summer in a large square in the center of Warsaw, with the motto “for your and our freedom”. With this slogan, Ukraine wants to communicate that it is fighting not only for its own freedom and democracy, but for that of all of Europe.

In May of this year, journalist Sander van Hoorn made a report in Kiev on Russian tanks on display in the city.

The Berlin municipality was initially unwilling to place a tank in the city center. The initiators then decided to ask the judge for a decision.

According to the municipality, a tank in the middle of the busy Mitte district could pose a danger to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. The wreck of the tank could also traumatize Syrian refugees. Additionally, city authorities feared that placing the tank as a political statement could pose a risk to the state. The judge rejected these exceptions, invoking freedom of expression.

After the tanks had been in Warsaw for a while, the Ukrainian government sent them to Prague. Also on the list are Madrid, Lisbon and Paris.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said earlier The Independent of Kiev who wants to make sure that Russian tanks end up in Europe, “but in the form of scrap”. He also wants to keep reminding Europeans that Ukraine is still the victim of a war initiated by Russia.

One of the reasons Ukraine has placed the tanks in Madrid may be that Spain has donated relatively few heavy weapons to Ukraine.

In the Netherlands, no initiatives are yet known to place destroyed Russian tanks in large cities. In addition, the municipality of The Hague has not received any application for shares in the vicinity of the Russian embassy.

The tank in Berlin is expected to be operational within a few weeks, around the corner from the Russian embassy.