Activists protest Germany’s increased defense spending amid Russia-Ukraine war

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 23: A group of German Greenpeace activists staged a protest outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin on Thursday (Feb. 23) to voice their rejection of the arms race on the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.The protesters unfurled a large banner with a slightly shortened quote from the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, “War – a heinous and outrageous act”.They also put up large white cardboard boxes with the names of attacked Ukrainian cities as a reminder of the immeasurable suffering and destruction caused by war.Leonhard Dünnwald from the Greenpeace group in Berlin told Anadolu that Germany is using the Ukraine crisis to increase the defense spending, noting that "This worries us".“Germany had the 7th largest military budget before the crisis, and we know that armament often affects counter-armament. We are also concerned about this tension,” said Dünnwald.He added that they are also worried about that the money to be spent on military expenditures in Germany will cause insufficiency in tackling climate crisis and overcoming other social problems.Greenpeace said in a statement that they staged the action outside the Russian embassy to protest against war and arms race.“With the Russian attack on Ukraine, the world experienced a drastic upheaval. Now marks the first anniversary of the invasion. This year Greenpeace has been committed to peace and disarmament. We will continue to work towards this,” said Greenpeace.The organization also said “A100 billion “special fund” was waved through without any real debate. With the campaign, the volunteers are therefore also pointing out the general dangers of weapons production and the arms race.”(Footage by Ömer Sercan Karkuş /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)