Row over Russian envoy overshadows German WW2 commemoration

Wreaths and flowers are left near a statue at Seelow Heights, on the day of a commemoration of the Battle of the Seelow Heights to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Seelow, Germany April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government on Wednesday warned against Russian efforts to "instrumentalise" events marking the 80th anniversary of World War Two after the Russian ambassador to Berlin attended a local event in the eastern town of Seelow.

The commemoration marked the Battle of the Seelow Heights, one of the final battles in the war before the Soviet army's march on Berlin and Germany's capitulation in May 1945. At least 30,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in one of the hardest fought battles for Russia's troops.