Soviet Union war memorial in Berlin defaced

The Soviet Union War Memorial in Berlin’s Treptower Park has been defaced for the second time in a month. The police assume that the perpetrators wanted to show their distaste for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A spokesman said the graffiti artists have painted “murderers” and “orcs”, referring to the evil creatures from Tolkien’s books, among others, on the monument. The letter “Z” has also been found, which is commonly used to support Russian aggression against the neighboring country. It is unclear whether it was done by a supporter or opponent of Putin.

The white texts will be removed. At the memorial site, slogans against the war and Russian President Vladimir Putin had already been seen, then in red paint. The Russian embassy said it was “deeply hurt by this blatant vandalism”.

The German police declined to say whether measures are being taken to prevent a recurrence.