The organizer is known to the policeAfter a pro-Russian motorcade in Cologne: the police searched the apartment of activists
On Sunday, a motorcade with pro-Russian activists drove through Cologne. On Monday, emergency services searched the organizer's apartment. According to the public prosecutor's office, there is no connection.
Special police units are said to have stormed and searched the home of the organizer of the weekend's pro-Russian motorcade in Cologne on Monday morning. This is the result of consistent media reports.
On Sunday, a parade of cars and motorcycles paraded through Cologne under the motto "Peace with Russia". With these actions, the organizers Elena Kolbasnikova and Max Schlund want to express their criticism of the EU and the USA and their attitude to Russia's war in Ukraine.
On Monday morning, the police are said to have been at the couple's door to search their apartment, reports the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger", among others . However, the raid is not related to the demo the day before, senior public prosecutor Ulf Willuhn emphasized when asked about the newspaper.
The reason for the search was a suspicion of violating the War Weapons Control Act. The police have received indications that the couple should have access to a Kalashnikov submachine gun, according to the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”.
During the search, investigators are said to have seized weapons. Whether these are real or mere dummies has yet to be investigated.
According to "t-online", a blog close to the activists says that Schlund was "considerably injured" during the operation. A spokesman for the public prosecutor's office did not want to confirm or deny this to the news portal.
According to the blog, the operation was an attempt to "criminalize" "peace activists" Kolbasnikova and Schlund. The police measure is an expression of "Russophobia", quotes the "Kölner Stadtanzeiger" from the blog article.
Motorcade of Putin activists in Cologne
Several thousand people took part in a Ukrainian cultural festival at the Chocolate Museum in downtown Cologne on Sunday from 12 noon. The car parade of pro-Russian activists, whose route was supposed to lead directly past the planned event, caused unrest. Motto: "Peace with Russia". Not only the organizers, but also many guests perceive this as a deliberate provocation.
Instead of the announced 1000 participants with 200 cars, only about 40 vehicles came, which were checked by the officials. Above all, the officials were aiming for the possible carrying of prohibited signs and symbols, as the police announced at the request of the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger".
At an earlier demonstration, event leader Kolbasnikova endorsed Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. For this reason, the Cologne district court has already sentenced her to a fine.
