Some 45,000 people, including Bavarian state premier Markus Söder, protested against the Russian attack on Ukraine in the German city of Munich on Wednesday, the police said.
Many demonstrators carried blue and yellow flags, the national colours of Ukraine, and banners saying “Please let peace win” and “Peace for all.”
“Under no circumstances will we accept a war, an unprovoked war of aggression in Europe, ever,” Söder said.
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“Now, we are all Ukrainians and we also stand by this commitment,” he added, referring to aid from Bavaria.
Several parties wanted to send a joint signal with the rally for Ash Wednesday, a day usually marked by party disputes and mutual insults.
Around 300 people protested in the Bavarian town of Tegernsee, not far from a villa belonging to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
Many carried banners saying “Stop Putin” or “Stop the war in Ukraine now.”
Usmanov reportedly left Germany on Monday. (Reuters/NAN)