German tanks on Russian soil? “Until recently, such a scenario seemed unthinkable. (It was the result of) a taboo imposed by German history.” Now the weapons supplied by Germany – Marder infantry fighting vehicles – could be used in an attack by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory, the portal of the weekly “Spiegel” wrote.
Many politicians in Berlin feared that the German tanks deployed by the Ukrainian army could be used as an excuse for Russian President Vladimir Putin to escalate the war. In the fall of 2022, when Germany was still debating whether to supply tanks to Ukraine, Chancellery Chief Wolfgang Schmidt summed up these concerns as follows:
If tanks with the German Iron Cross (symbol of the Bundeswehr) were captured, it would be the perfect opportunity for Russian propaganda to say: look, NATO is attacking us.
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German tanks on the counteroffensive
About two years later, there are some indications that “German tanks are still circulating on Russian territory, although not ‘with the German Iron Cross,’” Spiegel noted.
The weapons supplied by Germany could have been used in a surprise attack by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory in the Kursk region. Or more precisely: Marder infantry fighting vehicles. At least that is what videos from Russian sources suggest.”
According to Spiegel, Ukraine has not yet officially confirmed this to the German government. However, government circles believe that it is likely that the military equipment supplied by Germany will be used in the Kursk region.
Berlin did not comment on this matter.
People who are well informed about the Ukrainian hostilities remained silent. According to government circles, they knew nothing about it and did not need to know. The message: it is not our problem
– wrote “Spiegel”.
On Monday, the game of hide-and-seek ended. Asked about the Kursk operation, deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Buechner said: “This operation was apparently prepared in secret and without feedback.” There is also a subtext here: we had nothing to do with it.
– we read.
A Defense Ministry spokesman was a little more specific when reporters asked whether Ukraine would be able to use German-supplied weapons in Russia.
There are no obstacles and Ukraine is free to choose its options
– said Arne Collatz.
If weapons from Germany are made available to Ukraine, Ukraine assures us that it will use them within the framework of international law.
– said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. “No additional requirements.”
Chancellor’s consent
“To the surprise of many, in late May, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz allowed Ukrainians to fire weapons supplied for military purposes in Russia, Spiegel recalled. The Ukrainian border city of Kharkiv was repeatedly and heavily shelled by Russian positions near the border. Ukraine responded with counterattacks in the “immediately adjacent Russian border zone,” a statement by Scholz’s spokesman said.
The Kursk Oblast is a region close to the border, says military expert Carlo Masala from the Bundeswehr University in Munich. He believes that the deployment of German Marders in this area is justified. Russia has used Kursk as a staging ground for attacks on Ukraine, which Ukraine can defend itself against. According to Masala, so far “visual confirmation” has been obtained that one of the combat vehicles from the German weapons packages was active in the Kursk region. So far, Germany has delivered a total of 120 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
FDP defense politician Alexander Mueller emphasized:
The Ukrainian army does not use “German weapons”, there is no Bundeswehr emblem on any weapon.
To make it clear that responsibility for any use of the supplied Marders does not lie with Germany or the German government, but solely with Ukraine, Mueller chooses a drastic comparison:
If I hit someone with a Tesla, neither Elon Musk nor Joe Biden will be responsible.
gah/PAP
