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Germany news: Russia lists research body as 'undesirable'
Timothy Jones dpa, Reuters, AP, AFP, epd, KNA
Published 08/15/2026Published August 15, 2026
Russia has added another German body to its list of "undesirable organizations." A techno parade in Berlin is to take place under high security after last month's deadly attack on a Pride march. DW has more.
What you need to know
DW's blog brings you the top headlines from and about Germany on August 15, 2026:
Russia has added Germany's Research Centre for East European Studies (FSO) to its list of 'undesirable' organizations
A techno parade in Berlin will take place under heightened security following last month's deadly attack during a Pride march
Berlin's Rave the Planet techno event starts with moment of silence
As tens of thousands of partiers gathered for "Rave the Planet" — a Berlin music event labeling itself a political demonstration — there was quiet before organizers began blasting music.
The now high-security event began with a moment of silence for the victims of an Islamist attack on an LGBTQ+ pride event at the same spot three weeks ago.
Taking place under the motto "imagine love," Rave the Planet is the first major party event in the German capital since the July 25 terror attack.
A Christopher Street Day (CSD) organizer invited to Saturday's event called on those gathered to "be courageous" … "especially now."
A large police presence is on hand to protect revelers, streets and paths have been closed and trams will not stop at regular destinations as a result of the event.
Rhine water levels fall again
Water levels on the Rhine River have fallen to new record lows, greatly disrupting river-borne cargo transport, as a prolonged dry spell continues in most of Germany.
According to the inland navigation agency WSV, the water level gauge at the Kaub bottleneck near Koblenz fell to 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) late on Friday and was 8 cm early on Saturday.
Until this year, the previous lowest level marked by the gauge was 25 cm recorded in 2018.
The gauge gives the depth over an arbitrary baseline near the bank of the river, but is an indication of the navigable depth at that point, which is around a meter (3 feet) deeper.
Most cargo previously transported on the Rhine has been shifted to road and rail, but these transport methods cannot fully compensate for the heavy loads carried by ships.
For this reason, companies have started to report disruption to their supplies, with chemical producers, utilities, steelmakers warning of higher costs, transport bottlenecks and reduced production.
Bonn authorities warn of potential danger after ordnance find
Authorities in the western city of Bonn have called on people to avoid an area of the Rhine riverbank in the Gronau district after ordnance was found there.
They said they would provide more information on any evacuation measures and street closures as it became available.
The ordnance was found not far from DW's Bonn headquarters, meaning that any evacuation order could also affect the international broadcaster.
The danger level has so far been described as "slight."
Potentially toxic algae spread in Germany's north
Health authorities have issued warnings to bathers as potentially toxic blue-green algae thrive in waters in the north of Germany.
When high concentrations occur in water, the algae can cause allergic reactions and irritation to skin and mucous membranes, and nausea and vomiting if ingested in sufficient quantities.
Satellite images from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency show large patches of the algae — which are, in fact, cyanobacteria — in the Baltic Sea off the coast between Rostock and Hiddensee island, extending across the sea to the Danish coast.
They have also been found in lakes in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Swimming in them has been banned until, probably, Wednesday.
The government in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpomerania has warned against swimming in the sea when bathers can no longer see their feet in knee-high water.
AfD politician allegedly attacks 14-year-old — reports
A politician from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is being investigated over an alleged attack on a 14-year-old boy found defacing one of the party's campaign posters, the Spiegel newsmagazine and other media have reported.
The incident in the city of Stendal occurred just weeks before an election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
The Spiegel cited the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) as saying that the boy, along with other youths, was caught in the act of damaging an AfD poster.
"Subsequently, there was a possible physical altercation between a person with immunity and the youths. In the course of this, a blunt instrument was allegedly used," the LKA is quoted as saying.
It said one of the youths was slightly injured and received medical treatment.
Spiegel cited sources close to the boy as saying he suffered slight concussion, several bruises and injuries to his lip.
The public-service broadcaster MDR said the "blunt instrument" concerned was a baseball bat.
Heightened security planned at Berlin techno parade
The techno parade Rave the Planet is expected to draw tens of thousands of people in Berlin in Saturday, with police stepping up security at the event after last month's Islamist attack on fringes of the Pride march in the capital.
Participants in the parade will also have to contend with high temperatures of up to 37 C (98.6 F).
Police say they will deploy at least one water cannon to spray a cooling water mist and free drinking water is to be made available along the route of the parade, organizers have said.
The parade is to start in the early afternoon and run until late in the evening.
It is planned to run along the main boulevard through the Tiergarten park, between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column, close to the site of the July 25 attack, in which an Islamist assailant killed a woman and injured at least 31 people, some seriously.
A police spokeswoman said some 1,500 officers would be deployed at the event, with Berlin police supported by colleagues from the states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt.
The techno parade was first held in Berlin in 2022 to celebrate electronic music culture and has taken place every year since then.
Organizers have registered 300,000 participants, though police have put the number closer to 100,000 at previous parades.
Russia lists another German research body as 'undesirable'
On Friday, Russia's Justice Ministry added the Research Centre for East European Studies (FSO), based at the University of Bremen, to its list of "undesirable" organizations
Such organizations are banned from carrying out activities within Russia's territory.
The public prosecutor's office claims that the FSO aims to lobby the US government to impose sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
According to the research institute's website, it is "a place where the Eastern Bloc and its societies, with their specific cultures, are studied, and where current developments in the post-Soviet region are analyzed."
Russia's list of "undesirable" organizations already contains several German ones, including Deutsche Welle (DW), the German Historical Institute (DHI), which has been active in Moscow for many years, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and numerous political foundations.
Welcome to our coverage
Timothy Jones | Saim Dušan Inayatullah Editor
Guten Tag from DW's newsroom on the banks of the — ever-drier — Rhine River in Bonn.
The most important story in Germany at present is, of course, the wildfire raging in the western Eifel region. We have a dedicated blog on the catastrophe that you can find here.
In our Germany news blog, we will thus be covering a range of other stories.
Russia has listed yet another German organization as "undesirable" as it continues to clamp down on free speech.
They include a techno parade in the capital, Berlin, which is to take place under heightened security after last month's deadly attack during a Pride march at a nearby location.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is also in the news as one of its members is investigated after allegedly injuring a 14-year-old caught defacing a campaign poster.
Read on here for more on the latest from Germany.
