Memorial dispute in Dachau: Russia protests against symbol removal!

Memorial dispute in Dachau: Russia protests against symbol removal!

Hebertshausen, Deutschland - On June 26, 2025, a commemoration of the Soviet prisoners of war at the former SS shooting range in Hebertshausen provided excitement and controversy. The diplomatic representations of Russia and Belarus had participated in this event, which, however, was overshadowed after violent clashes. [Süddeutsche Zeitung] (https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/dachau/kz-gädkstaette-dachau-russische-dassischen- Hebertshausen-Kraenz-li.3274263) reports that the Russian general consulate in Bonn has filed a complaint based on vandalism and the insult of state symbols.

The focus of the criticism is the decision of the Dachau concentration camp memorial to remove ranges in the colors of the Russian and Belarusian national flags. This distance took place only one day after the commemoration, which took place on May 6th and in which the Russian ambassador and the Belarusian Consul General took part. The memorial justifies its procedure with the "respect for the victims of the Russian war of aggressive law". At this event, members of the animals who did not adhere to the guidelines that showed the state symbols caused mixed reactions.

shooting range Hebertshausen: A dark story

In order to understand the relevance of the memorial in this place, it is important to take a look into the past. The SS shooting range in Hebertshausen was built in 1937 and 1938 and initially served to train SS units. From 1941, however, this place became an execution site. From 1941 to 1942, the Lager-SS carried out mass extensions to over 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war. During the war, the Gestapo selected at least 33,000 prisoners of war according to racist and ideological criteria. These terrible events make the memorial to a place of commemoration and reflection on the illegality of the past Dachau concentration camp.

The commemoration also attracted the attention of the foreign office, which warned of Russian propaganda at such events. Minister of Culture Wolfram Weimer stood behind the concentration camp memorial and defended their approach. He emphasized that the memory of the victims of National Socialism must always be in the foreground. The memorial itself makes it clear that it campaigns against a hierarchization of the victim groups and a (re) nationalization of commemoration.

a conflict that remains

The development of these events has also caused political reactions. The AfD member of the Bundestag Götz Frömming asked written questions to the federal government. The Russian message described the removal of the loops as "unacceptable" and as an impairment of historical reconciliation. This illustrates how tense the relationship between the countries remains, especially in the context of the ongoing war and its historical anchorage.

in social media and Russian media, including Russia Today, there were also heated discussions about the events that bring the topic of historical memorial and their respectful handling on the agenda. The Dachau Memorial sees itself in its mission to commemorate the victims of National Socialism and to process the historical circumstances, but continued to continue, but decided to continue the right way.