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ConflictsGermany

The War Against Ukraine Puts Pressure on Russian-Germans

February 20, 2025

A rift has been running through the Russian-German community since 24 February 2022. That’s the day Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

The War Against Ukraine Puts Pressure on Russian-Germans
Image: BR

This documentary shows how the Russian-German community's life has changed since then.

Image: BR

The team was already filming people from the Russian-German community in 2022. After more than two years of Russia’s war against Ukraine, with its grueling fighting, thousands of deaths, dwindling support among the population and no prospect of peace, they return to film them once again. 

42% of all ethnic German immigrants living in Würzburg live in the Heuchelhof district. Most of them come from the former Soviet Union, particularly Kazakhstan. Image: BR

Much has changed. Take the Heuchelhof district of Würzburg in southern Germany, where many Russian-Germans live.

The Z is a symbol of support for the Russian army in the war in Ukraine. Image: BR

Shortly after the war began, the "Z” symbol, a sign of the Russian army, was daubed on a church. The families were caught between a rock and a hard place.

Image: BR

Shame and fear, tensions within the family, increased discrimination from outside and often hostility from within their own ranks weighed heavily on them.

Image: BR

And today? Are those who fight for a positive, peaceful coexistence holding their ground? Or is divisive propaganda gaining the upper hand?

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

SUN 23.02.2025 – 00:02 UTC
SUN 23.02.2025 – 03:30 UTC
SUN 23.02.2025 – 08:30 UTC
SUN 23.02.2025 – 14:30 UTC
MON 24.02.2025 – 01:15 UTC
MON 24.02.2025 – 22:30 UTC
TUE 25.02.2025 – 07:30 UTC
WED 26.02.2025 – 18:30 UTC

Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 | Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +/-0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -8 | Edmonton UTC -7 | New York UTC -5

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