Berlin – He will arrive in the dark around 4 a.m. on Friday. Straight from Ukraine. A T-72B tank.
On the anniversary of the attack on Ukraine, this destroyed Russian tank will be exhibited on Unter Den Linden for a weekend. And right in front of Putin’s embassy.
The clear message from committed Berliners: “We’ll put the junk back in front of the terrorists’ doors,” says initiator Wieland Giebel (73).
The T-72B was badly damaged by a mine. It will be transported to Berlin via Poland
Photo: Enno Lenze
The 44-ton tank was destroyed by a mine near Kiev on March 31. There are also bullet holes and a number of handgun hits. It belonged to a unit stationed near Mongolia and was last seen in the tank graveyard of a military museum.
Initiators prevailed against resistance
Giebel and his partner Enno Lenze (42) worked on their project for months. In doing so, they had to assert themselves against the resistance of the Mitte district in particular. Sometimes it was said that Syrian refugees could be traumatized and cyclists could be distracted. Or pedestrians run into it.
It was also said that a tunnel could collapse because the tank and the crane needed to unload it were too heavy together. In the end, however, the administrative court gave the green light. The weapon of war is to be presented on the truck trailer on which it is currently rolling through Poland.
“This tank is intended to be a sign of our protest against Russia’s war and to express our solidarity with Ukraine,” says Giebel.
Prominent politicians are not invited to the action on Friday. The campaign, which costs around 100,000 euros, is financed by donations.