According to the German federal government, several dozen “mercenaries” from Germany are currently in Ukraine, and most are fighting on the Russian side. Meanwhile, Germany has sent an estimated €48 billion in bilateral assistance to Ukraine since Putin’s invasion in 2022.
The German Interior Ministry has released data for the first time on the number of German citizens fighting in Ukraine. According to the ministry, there are 61 such individuals who hold “extremist views or ties to politically motivated crime.”
Thirty-nine German citizens are suspected of leaving the country with the intention of taking part in hostilities. Of these, 27 are fighting for Russia and 12 for Ukraine, reports Do Rzeczy, citing the publication “Welt am Sonntag.”
For the vast majority of these individuals, German authorities have specific information that they have participated in military operations and include both right-wing and left-wing extremists.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said that, in principle, participation in combat operations in Ukraine is not punishable, provided that “individuals do not act as mercenaries, but as members of the regular armed forces or equivalent volunteer corps and militia.”
However, this does not prevent investigations into potential war crimes. It is unclear whether appropriate proceedings were initiated against the departing fighters, as the German Attorney General declined to comment on the matter, reports Deutsche Welle.
CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter criticized the law enforcement agencies’ reticence.
“Individuals or extremists who voluntarily join the Russian armed forces or terrorist groups to participate in the invasion of Ukraine should be prosecuted upon their return to Germany,” he said.
In his opinion, it can be assumed that these people “systematically participated in war crimes and human rights violations.” In a recent post, Kiesewetter pushed the cause for Ukrainian victory, stating that if Putin wins, “genocide and terror will spread.”
The German government regularly provides Ukraine with military aid packages, including tanks, air defense systems and ammunition.
