Putin's fan gathers 200 people for a pro-Russian rally in Leverkusen, Germany
On Saturday, 6 May, pro-Russian activist Yelena Kolbasnikova organised a rally in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, calling for an end to military support for Ukraine.
Source: Bild, a German tabloid
Details: Over 200 people took part in the demonstration in Leverkusen whose rallying call was "No more war. Peace with Russia". The protesters gathered at the Stelzenbrücke Square before a convoy of 80 vehicles, accompanied by 20 police vehicles, set out for a car rally.
Leverkusen police spokesman Christoph Gilles told Bild that two protesters, including a child, were asked to cover the Z and V symbols on their clothes. Police accompanied the rally and "closely monitored" what was being said.
"To this end, an interpreter was involved to make sure the speeches had no criminal content. This process is still ongoing," Gilles said.
Kolbasnikova told Bild that she organised the protest because she did not want "more weapons to be supplied to Ukraine, because as a result of this more and more people die each week." "We demand a diplomatic solution," she said.
Yelena Kolbasnikova is one of the pro-Russian leaders in Germany, and has worked together with local far-right politicians.
On 8 May 2022, Kolbasnikova was joined by a former member of the anti-immigrant party ProNRW, Markus Beisicht, to address a car rally to mark the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany. More than 1,000 activists gathered in cars flying Russian and Soviet flags near a lake to drive to the Soviet monument in Cologne.
A Reuters special report found that Kolbasnikova and her partner Max Schlund were part of a pro-Kremlin agent network seeking to influence German politics. Among other things, they were involved in raising money for the Russian army.
Two investigations against Kolbasnikova are currently underway; one of them concerns her condoning the war of aggression.
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