Police estimated the turnout at “at least a low six-number figure”, while organisers of the march said half a million had turned up.
Bearing posters like “no World War 3”, “Stop the killer”, or “Berlin at 640 km from the frontlines”, the protesters massed at the Brandenburg Gate, a stone’s throw away from the imposing Russian embassy on Unter den Linden.
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“It is important to me for Germany to show that it is standing for democracy in Europe,” said Hans Georg Kieler, 49, who had turned out at the demonstration.
He voiced approval for Germany’s decision to begin delivering armaments to Ukraine, but said he thought “we could have helped Ukraine more”.
Germany has stepped up its commitment to apply sanctions to Russia over the weekend, moving to ban Russia from the Swift global payments system and closing off its airspace to Russian planes.
Ukrainian Valeria Moiseeva, 35, was also at the march.
“I am personally disappointed by Russia, I hate Russia, I hate all Russians,” she said, adding that her mother was now sitting in a cellar in Kyiv in fear of bombs.
She said she had to be at the demonstration because “I can’t do more than that.”
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