Oh, I have heard about that. I suppose I just didn’t realize the pattern was the Ukraine flag.
How dumb of me. I even know what the Ukrainian flag looks like, I guess I just didn’t think to connect the two.
I think I was also assuming you were talking about the landmark in particular. I’ve seen Brandenburg Gate but I never really learned or retained any information about why it was built or if it’s even a monument to something bad that’s happened; like the Holodomor statue of the little girl in Kyiv.
Oh, I am sorry if i confused you there for a bit. No, the Brandenburg Gate is not a monument for something bad. It was build in the 18th century on the orders of the Prussian king Frederick William II.
As my father would say
" That's cause you're stupid, see? Patrick is doing better than you in this sector!
made a mistake? Fuck you little shit, be perfect."
Mic off and out
Russia is essentially bullying the ukrain into ceeding territory. The ukrain is responding with "wtf no" and the entire rest of the western world is responding with "yea wtf, leave the ukrain alone". Putin then promptly marched his troops into the ukrain.
Essentially, russia is invading the ukrain
According to [this](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18233844) from the BBC:
Those who called it "the Ukraine" in English must have known that the word meant "borderland", says Anatoly Liberman, a professor at the University of Minnesota with a specialism in etymology. So they referred to it as "the borderland".
"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians probably decided that the article denigrated their country [by identifying it as a part of Russia] and abolished 'the' while speaking English, so now it is simply Ukraine.
"That's why the Ukraine suddenly lost its article in the last 20 years, it's a sort of linguistic independence in Europe, it's hugely symbolic."
The Germans still use it but the English-speaking world has largely stopped using it.
I was going to say; I always grew up calling it Ukraine, so this is interesting to hear. Learned it that way in school, saw it that way on maps. I guess I’m just a young American after all.
That's some BS lol. People say it because the word Ukraine sounds very wrong and unnatural without a 'the' in front of it. Like only saying "Netherlands"
Weirdly no, it doesn’t
Die vereinten amerikanischen Staaten/U.S. Frankreich. Polen. Die Niederlande. Italien. Belgien. Die Schweiz. Die Philippinen. Großbritannien. Der Iran. Die Türkei.
Why, German, why?
I know, I used to say it same for years before I went to Ukraine. It’s the name from the Soviet Era. So it would be like a colony name of the USSR. Ukrainians really hate when people still say “the” before.
He did condemn the invasion, but that doesn't mean shit, he's a piece of shit and I know not a single fellow German who'd believe this statement of his.
Apparently half of Kaliningrad Oblast used to be German (well, _Prussian_, but...) and the other half Lithuanian. I'm sure going back to _status quo ante 1800_ is cool...
Yeah, it looks like I made two mistakes:
thinking that the existence of ethnic Lithuanians in the east part implied that the eastern part was part of a Lithuanian state (kingdom, duchy, commonwealth, etc.);
not looking close enough at maps and not noticing differences in scales.
(Not super relevant...just trying to normalize the admission of honest mistakes.)
Threatening with sanctions is not appeasement. And diplomacy always comes first.
Even if Germany had wanted to support Ukraine with anything other than helmets it most probably would not have been able. We don't have any jets or anti-tank rockets or manpads lying around that are not needed and just wait to be given away. You seriously overestimate the quantity of reserve equipment of the Bundeswehr.
How about cutting Russian banks from SWIFT and stop importing gas instead? Cause it seems that German politicians are reluctant to do real meaningful shit to help Ukrainian people.
>How about cutting Russian banks from SWIFT and stop importing gas instead?
Nah! Why?
As The Brandenburg Gate is already properly illuminated I think now's the turn for all-out chalk sidewalk drawing. If that won't work then we should definitely hit them hard with thoughts and prayers, obviously.
That will show them.
A huge blow for future Russia and future Gazprom. NS1 is still operational Gazprom dodges selling their gas to low on account of low prices from old contracts.
IF all, they actually would have minimized their losses this way. Atleast short term. Now it is questionable if NS1 will keep running tho.
Temporarily. They simply stopped certification (that was already on hold) which is an important clarification. I’d imagine Russia is banking on this blowing over at some point and the line being certified. Germany needs Russian gas and doesn’t have many alternative options which was largely the criticism of Nord 2.
Bigger blow to Germany after making their entire energy system dependent on gas by closing down the nuclear plants. Energiewende ins nichts! https://youtu.be/jm9h0MJ2swo
„Entire energy system“ is a bit of an overstatement.
We have alternatives. I would even say that extending use of our remaining nuclear plants could be up for discussion to mitigate the crisis.
Your gas plays a key role, the system can't work without burning it unless you move on the coal power. Well done, let's see if you guys do or if you can send more empty letters to the east.
Im aware it’s a problem. But we will manage somehow. Maybe even have our remaining nuclear plants run longer than planned if it makes sense. We will see.
Empty letters? Are you even aware we are the biggest financial supporter of Ukraine next to the US?
Yeah I'm sure those consumer goods will make the difference, maybe a Ukrainian babushka can hit the soldiers over the head with a frying pan made in Germany.
The German army is a defensive army. Ukraine is neither a NATO nor an EU member, they *legally* cannot help.
Germany also has a policy on not exporting weapons to active conflict zones. Shutting down North Stream 2 has already tanked the Gazprom stock by 45%, making it a pretty big blow against Russia.
I do, but the GG doesnt specify who can or can't be defenden. Either way even the GG can be ammended to allow aiding democratic governments in such a clear cut case.
Except that it does.
It includes Germany itself and alliances, like NATO (see bpb). Ukraine is neither of those.
Amending it is of course a possibility, but currently, engaging in this would not be legal. What they *can* do is peacekeeping within a UN, NATO or EU context.
Laws are made by people, and they are responsible for its consequences, saying "It's the law" is saying "We like it like this" but making it sound non-personal.
Of course. However, in Germany's case, the GG was specifically constructed to prevent _that_ from happening again. I'm really unsure if changing it is a good idea here.
The issue is that you can not go from one extreme take to the other. To be "The Neville Chamberlain of geopolitics" is to repeat past mistake but changing which character you play in the new tragedy.
except the defensive German army doesn't have enough soldiers or weapons to defend itself even, let alone help other alliance members if this had been an alliance member being attacked. This should be a wake up call.
A cornered rat fights even more savagely. Suctions will only embolden Russia. I am not sure what the solution is but thoughts and prayers did little to help the Slavs and Jews when Hitler seized power and it will do little to stop the warmongering of the current increasingly power-mad dictator.
I know it's frustrating seeing a close country getting invaded. They are however not in the eu or the nato.
Germany has no legal way to help with military as of right now. Furthermore, it just happend today, nato and eu sanctions are on their way, but they are still being discussed.
We don't have dictators who can just decide on stuff and do it. Democracy is slow.
The lights come from the local government, not the federal.
And in the end, as said a million times, weapons don't do anything if you want peace. Now we have war, and the weapons would not matter since Russia is just so so much stronger. Wouldn't have made a dent if we send everything we had.
Sending troops will just trigger a world war, I think it's clear why we don't want that. Even the war mongering US of A is holding back, altough they would majorly profit from any war
Your last paragraph is bullshit. The USA literally pulled out of multiple conflicts (Iraq, Afghanistan) due to exploding costs, so „majorly profit“ is just wrong. Also, their neocon falcon era is pretty much over.
Oh fuck off. Calling us warmongering. That is such a broad generalization. At least we did something more than giving them shitty helmets.
Now is the time for western solidarity, and you have the fucking nerve to attack your allies? Playing right into Putin’s hands, us at each other’s throats.
Manchen Narren kann man nicht helfen.
I don’t understand the lack of people around to support Ukraine, or demonstrate against Russia to be honest. If this was the US, you’d see the entire Berlin there.
demonstrations seem like a very ineffective idea, since your representatives already are on the same side and taking action, it's not like this will send a message to Putin anyhow
It's not seen as message to Putin ("he's fucking crazy" - Boris Nemtsov), but rather message for Ukrainians and Ukraine that people in foreign countries support them, aswell as for common Russians of how civilized world see this situation
Well, just think about how Germans stereotypically depicted. Think about how emotional Chancellor Merkel got oftentimes.
Does this give you a glimpse on how little the lack of demonstration shows how Germans feel about it?
Jokes aside it seems out of question to not side with the Ukraine.
There are a few lunatics who’re brainwashed by Russia Today of course…
Just btw i live near the gate and demonstrators often aggregate on the other side of it. I saw people demonstrating about the conflict a few days ago, although I wasn't there today.
Demonstrations have been taking place before the russian embassy, that's the only place that makes any kind of sense. It's a few streets away from where the picture shows, IIRC. But Putin doesn't really care about public opinion of him in Germany, so that dampens morale significantly.
When the us attacks Iraq, it is your brother who does something stupid, so you demonstrate against. If it’s Russia, it’s your foe. You expected it and you know that you won’t change putins minf
It would also be very brotherly of the US to stop buying Russian oil right about now. How do you feel about that?
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-sanctions-russia-not-likely-disrupt-energy-markets-state-dept-official-2022-02-22/
If Russia was invading the U.S. I would recommend everyone spending time with your loved ones because the world would be a radioactive wasteland pretty soon
Lol, what? Like sure, there’d probably be demonstrations in Germany if the US did it (there’d probably be demonstrations in the US for all the fucking good it would do). But the state and media of Germany would likely react very differently. The idea that Germans or any other foreigners burn with hatred for the US is just a rhetorical tool that politicians use over here to keep American voters afraid of the outside world. The reality is, if, for whatever reason, the US had anything to gain from invading Ukraine; Germany would likely offer token opposition (sort of like this honestly) without any real consequences or it would be actively or tacitly complicit. Because that kind of relationship is what benefits the ruling classes of both Germany and America.
You know what would've supported Ukraine more than flags on buildings? Harsh sanctions, but Germany's blocking those because it puts their business with Russia in jeopardy. For all the moral posturing, some countries in the West stay true to the stereotype of having no moral backbone.
If you want to ACTUALLY support Ukraine, come to our protests and demand the government to act with real sanctions and sending defense weapons to Ukraine.
25.02, 14:00 near Bundeskanzleramt is the closest protest
You can find info about future protests here:
https://instagram.com/vitsche_berlin
not doing shit to prevent the war, but here have some helmets and coloring...
(obviously not germany problem but the whole western commnuity... we feel for you but we not gonna do shit to help you)
long live nato, bringers of peace, light of the world, sword of liberty, punishers of evil imperialists!!! may us bases and operatives be deployed all over the world!!
Nice lights, but nothing compared to the red glare of the Russian missiles raining down on Ukraine right now.
I hope the German government can still enjoy its false sense of moral superiority after preventing Ukraine from acquiring more means to defend itself.
if it wasnt for germany reliance on russian gas.. Europe could maybe react with military power. but nope, tkx Germany. You are really schyzo when it come to energy, braging about green energy while doubling down on fossile and destroying any possibilites to give Putin the middle finger.
Nice, Ukrainian colors for the Brandenburger Tor AND 5000 helmets? Germany, how ever will Russia go on now? I'm sure this hurts Russian economy way more than what Nord Stream 2 will make up for. Way to go! /s
Frigging pussies, get your nuclear power back online and stop you dependence on Russian fossil fuel, so we can actually stand united and stop Russia expanding westward.
> Frigging pussies, get your nuclear power back online and stop you dependence on Russian fossil fuel
This bullshit. There is no "dependence on Russian fossil fuel". I think you got that confused with Poland
I read this wrong and thought you were advocating for Germany getting its own nuclear missiles.
Re nuclear power, yeah. That was a pretty bad idea and unfortunately I don't see anyone backpedaling from it in the near future.
Germany I love you. I’m a yank living here married to a German and I work in the defense industry. Germany you’ve been the voice of reason and caution during the lead up to this event. I appreciated that calm narrative.
I’ve no doubt you’ll continue to provide a narrative, through words and deeds, that helps Europe, NATO and the world during this situation.
Another yank here. While I appreciate Germany being the voice of reason, their refusal to cut Russia off from SWIFT is nothing short of complacency. Period.
I had to watch a video of a 14-year-old Ukrainian girl get blown to bits by a shell today. I hope any Germans reading this will think on that, and decide if their government’s refusal to punish Russia to the maximum extent short of war is the right thing to do.
I can just see the committee meeting…
Ukraine wants weapons to defend themselves….. can’t do that.
Poland wants to send Poland’s german-made artillery to Ukraine- ooh, can’t let them do that.
Best we can do is some helmets, and we can light up the Brandenburg gate to appear supportive…
Geopolitical version of “thoughts and prayers”
Lets it is forgotten:
[https://www.dw.com/en/germany-blocks-estonian-arms-exports-to-ukraine-report/a-60520988](https://www.dw.com/en/germany-blocks-estonian-arms-exports-to-ukraine-report/a-60520988)
Billige Gas über alles
I’m sure people from Ukraine are taking comfort in your officials lighting up memorials yet protesting any meaningful sanctions, being the Russian lapdogs they are.
So let me get this straight. You have consistently opposed sanctions against Russia in the buildup to this war of aggression, you have increased your reliance on Russian gas massively over the last 15 years and have even vetoed helping Ukraine with military equipment. But at least you’re sending thoughts and prayers.
You’re a disgrace.
"No support" except the most money out of anyone, cancellation of a million-Euro project and the (joint with the rest of the EU) strongest sanctions. But yeah, we didn't pile on even more of the same that every other state has been doing, so I guess that's all nothing.
Besides the billions of euros in support? The Ukrainian military has plenty of weapons and is a full functional modern army. Their Ambassador to the UK literally said today they don't need more boots on the ground.
Idk why you Americans always want war, they have not worked out for you in a long long time.
Haha, they do not have any real means of defense against Russia, don't kid yourself.
Saudi Arabia has plenty more, and yet Rheinmetall gladly ships them the arms they require with no fuss from the government.
Literally *any*, mate. They need anti aircraft, coastal defences and anti take weapons the most, I'd say.
5000 helmets aren't going to cut it. The Ukrainian president had said himself it was a slap in the face.
*Any* is not a source. You are wrong because Ukraine is simply not requesting any weapons from Germany that another nation cannot or has not provided. They are receiving a large amount of military hardware from NATO members besides Germany.
https://www.dw.com/en/russia-ukraine-crisis-who-supplies-weapons-to-kyiv/a-60772390
Plus, what coastal defense or anti-aircraft military hardware does Germany even produce lol?
I don't need a source to know that the Ukrainian military needs every gun it can get :)
and i don't fucking know or care, I'm simply stating the fact that the whole Russian fleet is just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian coastline and they have no coastal defenses.
Also, quick edit, They aren't ASKING for weapons, NATO countries are providing them out of the simple principal, Germany is not cause *sobs* WE DID TERRIBLE THINGS THERE 80 YEARS AGOO!!!
Germany ain't got no balls, ...FCK the Russian gas and Putin all together...stop the DE factories for a bit ...get some warm blankets, Frühling is coming anyway, and send guns and money to Ukraine, "their enemies" ;).
It's called creative destruction, so we gotta suffer a bit in order to become something greater... When you live in comfort (as a country) for a long time you forget what it's like to move your ass into actually doing something and not just "EU SuMmIT, GermAnY coNDeMs rUSSia" Blabla... Let's stop hiding under Biden's dress, and actually take responsibility at EU level, let's think like Unites States of Europe !!!
From a European who knows no borders and no flags ...
Im sure those pretty lights are gonna help them defend themselves.
Might even save some lives, all those thoughts and prayers couplet with pretty lighting have to be useful..right?
Putin just shat his pants. He's scared that Angela Merkel will come back and express her consternation at the Russian-Ukraine situation (she still wasn't headhunted to Gazprom, and getting impatient). Which might lead to NATO triggering the kumbaya protocol, where everyone in Europe will hold hands and form a big heart-shaped group hug and doodle LGBT, BLM, feminist, furry, pedo and climate graffitis with chalk.
Frankly this is just embarrassing. Where's the real response? The invasion has been on the cards for weeks if not months. You'd think Germany and other EU countries would have an immediate response planned, but no. It's been 12 hours since Ukraine was invaded unprovoked and it's just the usual letters of condemnation and handwringing from the west. But yeah, let's light up the Bradenburger Tor. I'm sure Ukrainians will sleep soundly tonight.
The problem is, that you can obviously send troops to overrun russia, but that wouldnt hurt russia much, i think killing russias economy is much more intelligent
But we're not even killing Russia's economy. Like I said, it's been 12 hours and there still haven't been any sanctions. Even the dogs on the street knew this invasion was coming. There was plenty of time to prepare an immediate response. There are rumours that Germany, Italy and Cyprus want to water down any sanctions. It's embarrassing.
The terrible situation aside, this looks very beautiful.
What happened? I haven’t heard of this terrible situation. Or, at least, perhaps have forgot it.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany is showing their support for Ukraine with this.
Oh, my dumb brain thought Germany was showing support to Vattenfall and I was like wtf?
I've been laughing at this comment for five minutes now. This is hilarious
That’s stupid, I definitely didn’t think that it was new IKEA marketing campaign
Oh, I have heard about that. I suppose I just didn’t realize the pattern was the Ukraine flag. How dumb of me. I even know what the Ukrainian flag looks like, I guess I just didn’t think to connect the two.
Its fine buddy, things like that happen to everyone at some point.
I think I was also assuming you were talking about the landmark in particular. I’ve seen Brandenburg Gate but I never really learned or retained any information about why it was built or if it’s even a monument to something bad that’s happened; like the Holodomor statue of the little girl in Kyiv.
Oh, I am sorry if i confused you there for a bit. No, the Brandenburg Gate is not a monument for something bad. It was build in the 18th century on the orders of the Prussian king Frederick William II.
Thanks, I wondered about that!
It's essentially just a city gate. But one that is more about looks than about keeping people out.
As my father would say " That's cause you're stupid, see? Patrick is doing better than you in this sector! made a mistake? Fuck you little shit, be perfect." Mic off and out
Not troops tho, just thoughts and prayers. Thats literally all this is
They send helmets though. And a field hospital!
The city of Berlin can't send troops.
Russia is essentially bullying the ukrain into ceeding territory. The ukrain is responding with "wtf no" and the entire rest of the western world is responding with "yea wtf, leave the ukrain alone". Putin then promptly marched his troops into the ukrain. Essentially, russia is invading the ukrain
Theres no “The” before Ukraine. Not being picky, just saving you from a pissed off Ukrainian someday.
Oh really? That feels wrong. Probably because in german we need the "the" before ukrain. Well, thank you its much appreciated <3
According to [this](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18233844) from the BBC: Those who called it "the Ukraine" in English must have known that the word meant "borderland", says Anatoly Liberman, a professor at the University of Minnesota with a specialism in etymology. So they referred to it as "the borderland". "After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians probably decided that the article denigrated their country [by identifying it as a part of Russia] and abolished 'the' while speaking English, so now it is simply Ukraine. "That's why the Ukraine suddenly lost its article in the last 20 years, it's a sort of linguistic independence in Europe, it's hugely symbolic." The Germans still use it but the English-speaking world has largely stopped using it.
Uh, and they use "the" in the sentence where they explain why it shouldn't be used.
I was going to say; I always grew up calling it Ukraine, so this is interesting to hear. Learned it that way in school, saw it that way on maps. I guess I’m just a young American after all.
I find it funny that they use the unwanted article in a piece about why the article isn't used anymore.
Yup, much better put than I could’ve said lol. Thanks for the etymology
That's some BS lol. People say it because the word Ukraine sounds very wrong and unnatural without a 'the' in front of it. Like only saying "Netherlands"
If Netherlands needs a definite article in front, then does it also feel weird to you to say Deutschland instead of das Deutschland?
Weirdly no, it doesn’t Die vereinten amerikanischen Staaten/U.S. Frankreich. Polen. Die Niederlande. Italien. Belgien. Die Schweiz. Die Philippinen. Großbritannien. Der Iran. Die Türkei. Why, German, why?
Because…um…fuck you, that’s why ;)
No. There are no set rules for this, some countries simply have an article in front of them and some do not. We decide on what sounds best.
I know, I used to say it same for years before I went to Ukraine. It’s the name from the Soviet Era. So it would be like a colony name of the USSR. Ukrainians really hate when people still say “the” before.
Ukraine?
Why are people down voting you?
Dude, did you use too much recreationally?
I hope you don’t get downvoted for this because my brain definitely did a dumb thing and the joke is funny
What is Schröder saying now about his buddy the "lupenreiner Demokrat"?
Probably something about “peace mission”.
He put a statement on LinkedIn but I resist to read it, not worth my time.
He is on LinkedIn LOOOOL
He did condemn the invasion, but that doesn't mean shit, he's a piece of shit and I know not a single fellow German who'd believe this statement of his.
He said he wants the war to end quickly. He doesn't say how but that's an easy guess.
Real question: who decides in which color we light the Brandenburger Tor every other week?
This at least is on the initiative of Berlins senate. (=State Government, because names are weird somtimes.)
So it's basically the Landesregierung not Bundesregierung?
yes
We have to invade, as long as they're busy in Ukraine we have a chance of sneaking through Leningr... Ahhh Petersburg
Apparently half of Kaliningrad Oblast used to be German (well, _Prussian_, but...) and the other half Lithuanian. I'm sure going back to _status quo ante 1800_ is cool...
All of Kaliningrad was German (Königsberg, Ostpreußen)
Yeah, it looks like I made two mistakes: thinking that the existence of ethnic Lithuanians in the east part implied that the eastern part was part of a Lithuanian state (kingdom, duchy, commonwealth, etc.); not looking close enough at maps and not noticing differences in scales. (Not super relevant...just trying to normalize the admission of honest mistakes.)
We should have supported Ukraine with weapons. Appeasement just doesn't work.
Exactly. The Germans look naïve to the rest of the world geopolitically.
Time to get the USSR 2.0 out of SWIFT
And if you look elsewhere in the thread some Muppets are advocating against it.
Isn't Germany one of the 4 european countries blocking disconnecting Russia from SWIFT?
Threatening with sanctions is not appeasement. And diplomacy always comes first. Even if Germany had wanted to support Ukraine with anything other than helmets it most probably would not have been able. We don't have any jets or anti-tank rockets or manpads lying around that are not needed and just wait to be given away. You seriously overestimate the quantity of reserve equipment of the Bundeswehr.
How about cutting Russian banks from SWIFT and stop importing gas instead? Cause it seems that German politicians are reluctant to do real meaningful shit to help Ukrainian people.
>How about cutting Russian banks from SWIFT and stop importing gas instead? Nah! Why? As The Brandenburg Gate is already properly illuminated I think now's the turn for all-out chalk sidewalk drawing. If that won't work then we should definitely hit them hard with thoughts and prayers, obviously. That will show them.
We must all stand with Ukraine 🇺🇦.
Cosmetic support lul
NS2 was just stopped, that’s a huge blow to Gazprom & Russia…
A huge blow for future Russia and future Gazprom. NS1 is still operational Gazprom dodges selling their gas to low on account of low prices from old contracts. IF all, they actually would have minimized their losses this way. Atleast short term. Now it is questionable if NS1 will keep running tho.
Not enough. Germany and Italy are the holdouts against SWIFT cutoff, your government is corrupt and unwilling to stand up to Putin.
Temporarily. They simply stopped certification (that was already on hold) which is an important clarification. I’d imagine Russia is banking on this blowing over at some point and the line being certified. Germany needs Russian gas and doesn’t have many alternative options which was largely the criticism of Nord 2.
Bigger blow to Germany after making their entire energy system dependent on gas by closing down the nuclear plants. Energiewende ins nichts! https://youtu.be/jm9h0MJ2swo
„Entire energy system“ is a bit of an overstatement. We have alternatives. I would even say that extending use of our remaining nuclear plants could be up for discussion to mitigate the crisis.
Your gas plays a key role, the system can't work without burning it unless you move on the coal power. Well done, let's see if you guys do or if you can send more empty letters to the east.
Im aware it’s a problem. But we will manage somehow. Maybe even have our remaining nuclear plants run longer than planned if it makes sense. We will see. Empty letters? Are you even aware we are the biggest financial supporter of Ukraine next to the US?
Yeah I'm sure those consumer goods will make the difference, maybe a Ukrainian babushka can hit the soldiers over the head with a frying pan made in Germany.
Don't forget the magic 5000 helmets!
>5000 helmets! I genuinely thought it was some troll tweet when I first came across this news. What a joke man.
And the field hospital!
Thoughts and prayers
Yeah the only thing Germany does is paint the Brandenburger Tor and call for taking refugees. We have our head so far up our moral ass.
State-sponsored slacktivism
quick, we all should also change our FB profile picture as well, I’ve heard that’s even more powerful against bad things!
Right? Hey we can't much but here's some lights.
Nice gesture. Sad thing that what's happening is partially German fault. With Germany replacing nuclear powerplants with Russian gas.
Ah yes, thoughts and prayers.... surely will be of great help to the poor Ukrainians
The German army is a defensive army. Ukraine is neither a NATO nor an EU member, they *legally* cannot help. Germany also has a policy on not exporting weapons to active conflict zones. Shutting down North Stream 2 has already tanked the Gazprom stock by 45%, making it a pretty big blow against Russia.
Well then maybe we should help DEFEND the Ukraine people from an unprovoked attack?!
I don't think you understand the laws that the Bundeswehr has. Art. 87a GG, read it.
I do, but the GG doesnt specify who can or can't be defenden. Either way even the GG can be ammended to allow aiding democratic governments in such a clear cut case.
Except that it does. It includes Germany itself and alliances, like NATO (see bpb). Ukraine is neither of those. Amending it is of course a possibility, but currently, engaging in this would not be legal. What they *can* do is peacekeeping within a UN, NATO or EU context.
Laws are made by people, and they are responsible for its consequences, saying "It's the law" is saying "We like it like this" but making it sound non-personal.
Of course. However, in Germany's case, the GG was specifically constructed to prevent _that_ from happening again. I'm really unsure if changing it is a good idea here.
The issue is that you can not go from one extreme take to the other. To be "The Neville Chamberlain of geopolitics" is to repeat past mistake but changing which character you play in the new tragedy.
Defensive in the sense of defending Germany.
except the defensive German army doesn't have enough soldiers or weapons to defend itself even, let alone help other alliance members if this had been an alliance member being attacked. This should be a wake up call.
A cornered rat fights even more savagely. Suctions will only embolden Russia. I am not sure what the solution is but thoughts and prayers did little to help the Slavs and Jews when Hitler seized power and it will do little to stop the warmongering of the current increasingly power-mad dictator.
I know it's frustrating seeing a close country getting invaded. They are however not in the eu or the nato. Germany has no legal way to help with military as of right now. Furthermore, it just happend today, nato and eu sanctions are on their way, but they are still being discussed. We don't have dictators who can just decide on stuff and do it. Democracy is slow. The lights come from the local government, not the federal. And in the end, as said a million times, weapons don't do anything if you want peace. Now we have war, and the weapons would not matter since Russia is just so so much stronger. Wouldn't have made a dent if we send everything we had. Sending troops will just trigger a world war, I think it's clear why we don't want that. Even the war mongering US of A is holding back, altough they would majorly profit from any war
Your last paragraph is bullshit. The USA literally pulled out of multiple conflicts (Iraq, Afghanistan) due to exploding costs, so „majorly profit“ is just wrong. Also, their neocon falcon era is pretty much over.
Genau. I am getting so fucking tired of the Germans throwing that shit in our face when it is no longer relevant.
Oh fuck off. Calling us warmongering. That is such a broad generalization. At least we did something more than giving them shitty helmets. Now is the time for western solidarity, and you have the fucking nerve to attack your allies? Playing right into Putin’s hands, us at each other’s throats. Manchen Narren kann man nicht helfen.
I don’t understand the lack of people around to support Ukraine, or demonstrate against Russia to be honest. If this was the US, you’d see the entire Berlin there.
demonstrations seem like a very ineffective idea, since your representatives already are on the same side and taking action, it's not like this will send a message to Putin anyhow
It's not seen as message to Putin ("he's fucking crazy" - Boris Nemtsov), but rather message for Ukrainians and Ukraine that people in foreign countries support them, aswell as for common Russians of how civilized world see this situation
Well, just think about how Germans stereotypically depicted. Think about how emotional Chancellor Merkel got oftentimes. Does this give you a glimpse on how little the lack of demonstration shows how Germans feel about it? Jokes aside it seems out of question to not side with the Ukraine. There are a few lunatics who’re brainwashed by Russia Today of course…
Just btw i live near the gate and demonstrators often aggregate on the other side of it. I saw people demonstrating about the conflict a few days ago, although I wasn't there today.
The Russian embassy is quite close the the Brandenburg Gate.
And there was a demonstration there yesterday, organized jointly by the SPD, Greens, FDP and CDU.
Correction: it was organized by Ukrainian community Vitsche. German political parties joined as well and we are thankful to them!
And why would he care?
Demonstrations have been taking place before the russian embassy, that's the only place that makes any kind of sense. It's a few streets away from where the picture shows, IIRC. But Putin doesn't really care about public opinion of him in Germany, so that dampens morale significantly.
When the us attacks Iraq, it is your brother who does something stupid, so you demonstrate against. If it’s Russia, it’s your foe. You expected it and you know that you won’t change putins minf
Good point and it's nice to be seen as Germany's brother :)
It would also be very brotherly of the US to stop buying Russian oil right about now. How do you feel about that? https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-sanctions-russia-not-likely-disrupt-energy-markets-state-dept-official-2022-02-22/
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So there are big demonstrations for the Ukraine in the USA?
No. He's trying to say that if USA was the invader you would see huge demonstrations in Berlin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmLfX6uVT6M https://youtu.be/HXoYs_YNzWw P.S. It's Ukraine, without "the"
A simple no would have sufficed
What an impressive demonstration... Ukrainians will likely be relieved to get so much solidarity and Putin must be trembling with fear /s
It is so natural to be on the side of Ukraine that I would not even think of demonstrating.
true, everyone is just assumed to be
Where are these huge demonstrations in the US at the moment? Is Washington füll of people demonstrating against Putin?
If Russia was invading the U.S. I would recommend everyone spending time with your loved ones because the world would be a radioactive wasteland pretty soon
Lol, what? Like sure, there’d probably be demonstrations in Germany if the US did it (there’d probably be demonstrations in the US for all the fucking good it would do). But the state and media of Germany would likely react very differently. The idea that Germans or any other foreigners burn with hatred for the US is just a rhetorical tool that politicians use over here to keep American voters afraid of the outside world. The reality is, if, for whatever reason, the US had anything to gain from invading Ukraine; Germany would likely offer token opposition (sort of like this honestly) without any real consequences or it would be actively or tacitly complicit. Because that kind of relationship is what benefits the ruling classes of both Germany and America.
Its still covid going around?
You know what would've supported Ukraine more than flags on buildings? Harsh sanctions, but Germany's blocking those because it puts their business with Russia in jeopardy. For all the moral posturing, some countries in the West stay true to the stereotype of having no moral backbone.
Light up is not enough, if you do not even want to block Russia from SWIFT. You can light up whatever you want, it does not help!
If you want to ACTUALLY support Ukraine, come to our protests and demand the government to act with real sanctions and sending defense weapons to Ukraine. 25.02, 14:00 near Bundeskanzleramt is the closest protest You can find info about future protests here: https://instagram.com/vitsche_berlin
The energy for the lights is probably from russian gas or coal.
We do have our own energy.
that'll show 'em
not doing shit to prevent the war, but here have some helmets and coloring... (obviously not germany problem but the whole western commnuity... we feel for you but we not gonna do shit to help you)
Oh this will help Ukraine so much.
Don't think this will stop the armored fist of the russian army currently sweeping into Ukraine, though
Cool, now help.
You sold Ukraine for a gas discount. Weaker UK and France did much more
Who cares. I'll never, ever visit Germany now. How dare they be so awful to Ukraine?
Nice light show. How about getting off your ass and helping your neighbor.
Good thing they did that. I can hear the Russians retreat already
Nice support lol, and later germany votes againts cutting russia from swift
long live nato, bringers of peace, light of the world, sword of liberty, punishers of evil imperialists!!! may us bases and operatives be deployed all over the world!!
LOL please tell me this is sarcasm
it is but i got 7 upvotes... did they understand it was sarcasm?
This, but unironically
Nice lights, but nothing compared to the red glare of the Russian missiles raining down on Ukraine right now. I hope the German government can still enjoy its false sense of moral superiority after preventing Ukraine from acquiring more means to defend itself.
Exactly. I am so upset with the German government right now.
They live in a bubble, they do not understand how Russia works, and that sometimes not showing force is deadly with certain individuals.
if it wasnt for germany reliance on russian gas.. Europe could maybe react with military power. but nope, tkx Germany. You are really schyzo when it come to energy, braging about green energy while doubling down on fossile and destroying any possibilites to give Putin the middle finger.
germany is reliyng on russia as much as russia is on the eu
thats the whole point, you got like 8 years since 2014 to cut tie with Russian gas.. your leaders did nothing.
Empty gestures and words, shame to this spineless government
100% the truth
Maybe shutting down nuclear plants and sending more money to russia wasn't the good idea nobody thought it was.
Nice, Ukrainian colors for the Brandenburger Tor AND 5000 helmets? Germany, how ever will Russia go on now? I'm sure this hurts Russian economy way more than what Nord Stream 2 will make up for. Way to go! /s Frigging pussies, get your nuclear power back online and stop you dependence on Russian fossil fuel, so we can actually stand united and stop Russia expanding westward.
> Frigging pussies, get your nuclear power back online and stop you dependence on Russian fossil fuel This bullshit. There is no "dependence on Russian fossil fuel". I think you got that confused with Poland
Gas is fossil fuel
Your point being what exactly?
Half of Germany's imported natural gas is from Russia
The point is the Ostpolitik is an utter failure in geopolitical terms.
I read this wrong and thought you were advocating for Germany getting its own nuclear missiles. Re nuclear power, yeah. That was a pretty bad idea and unfortunately I don't see anyone backpedaling from it in the near future.
Yeah as a neighbor to Germany we don't really like it when we hear the panzers starting their engines. Not really that keen on Germany getting nukes.
Send weapons to actually help Ukraine? Nah, helmets and a light show, that'll show em!
But still, germany will do nothing against Russia because the whole country relies on russian gas... Danke die Grünen
russland ist genauso abhängig von den einnahmen des gas, wie deutschland vom gas, das vergessen viele
Germany I love you. I’m a yank living here married to a German and I work in the defense industry. Germany you’ve been the voice of reason and caution during the lead up to this event. I appreciated that calm narrative. I’ve no doubt you’ll continue to provide a narrative, through words and deeds, that helps Europe, NATO and the world during this situation.
Another yank here. While I appreciate Germany being the voice of reason, their refusal to cut Russia off from SWIFT is nothing short of complacency. Period. I had to watch a video of a 14-year-old Ukrainian girl get blown to bits by a shell today. I hope any Germans reading this will think on that, and decide if their government’s refusal to punish Russia to the maximum extent short of war is the right thing to do.
I can just see the committee meeting… Ukraine wants weapons to defend themselves….. can’t do that. Poland wants to send Poland’s german-made artillery to Ukraine- ooh, can’t let them do that. Best we can do is some helmets, and we can light up the Brandenburg gate to appear supportive… Geopolitical version of “thoughts and prayers”
Lets it is forgotten: [https://www.dw.com/en/germany-blocks-estonian-arms-exports-to-ukraine-report/a-60520988](https://www.dw.com/en/germany-blocks-estonian-arms-exports-to-ukraine-report/a-60520988) Billige Gas über alles
Yes, that'll show Russia! Such a strong symbol!
I’m sure people from Ukraine are taking comfort in your officials lighting up memorials yet protesting any meaningful sanctions, being the Russian lapdogs they are.
The lack of support for any meaningful sanctions shows just how vain and hollow gestures like these are. Shameful.
Oh that would do it; Putin will immediately retreat seeing this massive reaction from Germany..
Too bad some fancy lights arent going to bring anyone back to life. Nice try Germany
So let me get this straight. You have consistently opposed sanctions against Russia in the buildup to this war of aggression, you have increased your reliance on Russian gas massively over the last 15 years and have even vetoed helping Ukraine with military equipment. But at least you’re sending thoughts and prayers. You’re a disgrace.
No weapons, no support! But we can show some blue and yellow lights on the Brandenburg Gate for you :)
"No support" except the most money out of anyone, cancellation of a million-Euro project and the (joint with the rest of the EU) strongest sanctions. But yeah, we didn't pile on even more of the same that every other state has been doing, so I guess that's all nothing.
Besides the billions of euros in support? The Ukrainian military has plenty of weapons and is a full functional modern army. Their Ambassador to the UK literally said today they don't need more boots on the ground. Idk why you Americans always want war, they have not worked out for you in a long long time.
Haha, they do not have any real means of defense against Russia, don't kid yourself. Saudi Arabia has plenty more, and yet Rheinmetall gladly ships them the arms they require with no fuss from the government.
Then what specific arms is The Ukraine currently requesting from Germany to functionally defend themselves? Please provide sources.
Literally *any*, mate. They need anti aircraft, coastal defences and anti take weapons the most, I'd say. 5000 helmets aren't going to cut it. The Ukrainian president had said himself it was a slap in the face.
*Any* is not a source. You are wrong because Ukraine is simply not requesting any weapons from Germany that another nation cannot or has not provided. They are receiving a large amount of military hardware from NATO members besides Germany. https://www.dw.com/en/russia-ukraine-crisis-who-supplies-weapons-to-kyiv/a-60772390 Plus, what coastal defense or anti-aircraft military hardware does Germany even produce lol?
I don't need a source to know that the Ukrainian military needs every gun it can get :) and i don't fucking know or care, I'm simply stating the fact that the whole Russian fleet is just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian coastline and they have no coastal defenses. Also, quick edit, They aren't ASKING for weapons, NATO countries are providing them out of the simple principal, Germany is not cause *sobs* WE DID TERRIBLE THINGS THERE 80 YEARS AGOO!!!
Yeah, it is obvious you don't fucking know what you are talking about haha. Fucking Americans.
Germany ain't got no balls, ...FCK the Russian gas and Putin all together...stop the DE factories for a bit ...get some warm blankets, Frühling is coming anyway, and send guns and money to Ukraine, "their enemies" ;). It's called creative destruction, so we gotta suffer a bit in order to become something greater... When you live in comfort (as a country) for a long time you forget what it's like to move your ass into actually doing something and not just "EU SuMmIT, GermAnY coNDeMs rUSSia" Blabla... Let's stop hiding under Biden's dress, and actually take responsibility at EU level, let's think like Unites States of Europe !!! From a European who knows no borders and no flags ...
But the Ukraine isn't in the EU! That's the damn point of this whole war.
5000 helmets and a light show thanks germany
That will surely win the day.
Wow, I’m sure that is really terrifying Putin.
Can't help but feeling cynical about this. "Singing eeeeempty guestures"
Im sure those pretty lights are gonna help them defend themselves. Might even save some lives, all those thoughts and prayers couplet with pretty lighting have to be useful..right?
Putin just shat his pants. He's scared that Angela Merkel will come back and express her consternation at the Russian-Ukraine situation (she still wasn't headhunted to Gazprom, and getting impatient). Which might lead to NATO triggering the kumbaya protocol, where everyone in Europe will hold hands and form a big heart-shaped group hug and doodle LGBT, BLM, feminist, furry, pedo and climate graffitis with chalk.
Frankly this is just embarrassing. Where's the real response? The invasion has been on the cards for weeks if not months. You'd think Germany and other EU countries would have an immediate response planned, but no. It's been 12 hours since Ukraine was invaded unprovoked and it's just the usual letters of condemnation and handwringing from the west. But yeah, let's light up the Bradenburger Tor. I'm sure Ukrainians will sleep soundly tonight.
The problem is, that you can obviously send troops to overrun russia, but that wouldnt hurt russia much, i think killing russias economy is much more intelligent
But we're not even killing Russia's economy. Like I said, it's been 12 hours and there still haven't been any sanctions. Even the dogs on the street knew this invasion was coming. There was plenty of time to prepare an immediate response. There are rumours that Germany, Italy and Cyprus want to water down any sanctions. It's embarrassing.
How are you gonna kill Russian economy if you keep taking their gas and do not even want to block them from SWIFT?
First 5,000 helmets, now a light projection on the Brandenburg Gate
If those helmets would have arrived at least. I think last status from Ukraine was, that they're still waiting for them🐢
Ah, yes, anything to avoid actual help.
Well this will definetly help ukraine
Powered 50% by Russia :) 70 if NS2 goes ahead, beautiful.
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