A high level of security is planned for the two-day Ukraine reconstruction conference on Tuesday and Wednesday in Berlin. Berliners must expect major traffic disruptions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to open the conference in the CityCube congress center on the exhibition grounds in Charlottenburg together with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Zelensky will also give a speech in the Bundestag on Tuesday. Numerous other high-ranking politicians, including heads of government, will attend.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the police will have to secure the conference venue on the exhibition grounds, as well as the hotels where the most important politicians are staying. In addition, there are the routes between the airport in the southeast of Berlin, the congress center far to the west, and the government district and hotels in the city center. There are already numerous closures there because of the fan zones for the European Football Championship. Now other streets and, at times, the city’s motorway could be added.
The airspace is monitored, police search buildings for explosives with sniffer dogs, snipers are positioned, and special operations units (SEK) are on standby. The exact number of police officers deployed will only be announced shortly beforehand.
With a view to the Ukraine conference and the European Football Championship starting two days later, police chief Barbara Slowik recently stated that one of the largest operations in recent years was planned. “In my six years in office, the situation has never been as tense as it is now.”
The Berlin police will need all of their police units, as holiday bans were imposed a long time ago. They are also dependent on support from other federal states – although many police officers are also needed there because of the European Championships.
The security measures for the European Championship, which begins next Friday, will also enter a critical phase for the Berlin police at the start of the week. On Monday, experts will use sniffer dogs to examine the Olympic Stadium for possible explosives or other dangerous objects. The stadium will then be handed over to UEFA as the organizer. On Tuesday, the fan zones at the Brandenburg Gate and in front of the Reichstag will be thoroughly examined.
On match days with German participation and at the games in Berlin, more than 2,000 police officers will be deployed. On the day of the final in Berlin on July 14, between 3,000 and 4,000 police officers will be on duty. Modern technical drone defense, bollards, fences, facial recognition, interpreters and other specialists will also be deployed.