© Julia Baier / TAZ
It must be considered a special honour when the representatives of a rogue state give you your own street sign. When Henry Lindemeier takes up position in front of the Russian House on Friedrichstraße with his Ukrainian flag and speaker, the doorman places two A-boards on the pavement showing a stylised figure with a flag inside a red warning triangle – with the inscription: "Caution: risk of provocation!"
And provoke he does: in front of a Russian state institution in the heart of Berlin – whose very existence many consider a provocation – he wants to draw attention to the brutal war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than three years. Since June 2024 he has been standing on Friedrichstraße several times a week with a large blue-and-yellow flag, playing Ukrainian folk songs, air raid sirens or the sound of bombs.
"I want to push back against the collective forgetting. I want the Russians who visit events here to think about the fact that their country is at war – morning and evening."
The Russian House was opened in East Berlin in 1984. Its operator, Rossotrudnitschestwo, has been on the EU sanctions list since July 2022. Although the legal basis for closing the House is not clear-cut, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden have already closed comparable institutions years ago.
The Russian House buries Lindemeier under complaints and legal proceedings. Police are regularly called for alleged noise disturbance or harassment of passers-by. Surveillance camera footage – possibly obtained illegally – was used as evidence against him.
Having been physically attacked four times, he now wears a stab-proof vest and carries a whistle to raise the alarm during attacks.