The weapons supplied by Germany, the Marder infantry fighting vehicles, could have been used in an attack by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory, the Spiegel weekly wrote. Asked by journalists whether Ukraine would be allowed to use the weapons supplied by Germany in Russia, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that it was “free to choose its options.”
“German tanks on Russian soil? Such a scenario seemed unthinkable,” wrote the Spiegel weekly. Many politicians in Berlin feared that the German tanks deployed by the Ukrainian army could serve as a pretext for the president Russia Vladimir Putin to the escalation of the war.
In the fall of 2022, when Germany They were still wondering whether they should supply tanks at all UkraineChancellor's Office Chief Wolfgang Schmidt summed up these concerns as follows: “If tanks with the German Iron Cross were captured, it would be a perfect opportunity for Russian propaganda to say: look, NATO is attacking us.” About two years later, there are some indications that “German tanks are rolling across Russian territory, although not with the German Iron Cross,” Spiegel noted.
German Marder combat vehicleShutterstock
The Germans “knew nothing about it and didn't need to know”
“The weapons supplied by Germany could have been used in a surprise attack by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory in the Kursk region. Specifically: Marder infantry fighting vehicles. At least that's what recordings from Russian sources suggest,” “Spiegel” indicates.
According to information from “Spiegel”, Ukraine has not officially confirmed this to the German government. “Government circles, however, believe that it is likely that the military equipment supplied by Germany will be used in the Kursk region,” writes “Spiegel”.
Berlin has not spoken out on the subject. “People who are well-informed about Ukrainian military operations have 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 came to an end. Deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Buechner, asked about the Kursk operation, said: This operation was clearly prepared in secret and without feedback,” reports “Spiegel.”
Ukraine “has freedom to choose options”
A defense ministry spokesman was a bit more specific when asked by reporters whether Ukraine would be allowed to use German-supplied weapons in Russia: “There are no obstacles and Ukraine is free to choose its options,” Arne Collatz said.
– In the event that weapons from Germany are made available to Ukraine, Ukraine assures us that it will use them within the framework of international law – said the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. “There are no additional requirements.”
“To the surprise of many, at the end of May, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz allowed the Ukrainians to fire the supplied weapons at military targets in Russia,” Spiegel recalled.
The Ukrainian border city of Kharkiv has come under repeated and heavy fire from Russian positions near the border. Ukraine has responded with counterattacks in the “immediately adjacent Russian border zone,” spokesman Scholz said in a statement.
German Marders in Russia?
Military expert Carlo Masala of the Bundeswehr University in Munich believes that the deployment of German Marders in the border region of Kursk is justified. Russia has used Kursk as a staging area for attacks on Ukraine, against which Ukraine can defend itself.
According to Masala, “visual confirmation has been obtained so far that one of the combat vehicles from the German armament packages was active in the Kursk region.” To date, Germany has delivered a total of 120 Marder IFVs to Ukraine.
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