Russian opposition’s antiwar march in Berlin draws 1,800–5,000 demonstrators (depending on who’s counting)

Antiwar demonstrators, assembled by a trio of anti-Kremlin opposition leaders — Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Yulia Navalnaya — marched in Berlin on Sunday. Local police estimated the crowd size to be roughly 1,800 people. Meduza’s correspondents on the ground believe attendance was closer to 2,500 demonstrators. Meanwhile, TV Rain claimed a turnout as high as 5,000 people.

In their speeches to the crowd, the rally’s three main organizers stressed anti-Putin themes, centering Russia’s president in their condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine. (This focus on Vladimir Putin has angered many Ukrainians and their supporters, provoking allegations that the anti-Kremlin opposition ignores the roles of ordinary Russians and Russian society in sustaining the invasion.)

“I’m very grateful you came out and showed that Putin is not Russia. We are Russia. We oppose this war, we oppose this aggression, and we are for a free and peaceful Russia,” said Yashin.

Kara-Murza led the crowd in what he said was Boris Nemtsov’s favorite rallying cry: “Down with the rule of the Chekists!” He added: “You can falsify any election results, and you can fake the results of so-called polls, but you can’t fake this sea of bright, beautiful faces.”

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny, reminded the crowd of her husband, repeatedly calling Vladimir Putin a “murderer.”

One of the controversies among demonstrators was which flags were most appropriate for the rally. While many marched with the white-blue-white flag adopted by antiwar Russians, some brought Russia’s official flag, arguing that the tricolor, like Russia itself, doesn’t belong to Vladimir Putin. You can read more about the march (in Russian) here at Meduza.