Russian ambassador, others mark May 9 with visit to Berlin memorial

Numerous people visited the Soviet Memorial in Berlin's Treptower Park on Thursday to commemorate the end of World War II in Europe 79 year ago.

The Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergei Yuryevich Netshaev, was among the dignitaries that visited the memorial, where he welcomed Russian Orthodox clergymen.

Netshaev is also expected to attend a memorial service in the Tiergarten park in Berlin as well.

Nazi Germany capitulated to the Allies late in the evening on May 8, 1945, ending the brutal war which left millions dead.

But in Russia and many other parts of the former Soviet Union, the event is commemorated on May 9, the date in Moscow when Soviet leaders announced the German surrender.

In Berlin on Thursday, visitors laid wreaths and flowers at the Soviet Memorial, and many came wearing military uniforms.

Berlin police this year banned the display of Russian flags and other symbols, such as signs of support for Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.

Officers checked visitors at the entrances to Soviet Memorial for prohibited symbols and objects. A police spokeswoman said on Thursday morning that there had been no incidents.

Later in the day, members of the Russian nationalist Night Wolves motorcycle club are expected to visit the memorial. The club has for years visited various memorial sites to mark May 9.

According to police reports, Night Wolves members were still travelling in the countryside surrounding Berlin in the morning. They had visited the nearby city of Potsdam on Wednesday.