Wagenknecht sees the use of German weapons as crossing a "red line"
In the Kursk region, Ukrainian troops have advanced into Russian territory. The defense ministry in Moscow claims that German armored vehicles are also involved in this incursion. While the FDP sees no problem with this, Left Party leader Sahra Wagenknecht describes it as a "highly dangerous development".
After the advance of Ukrainian troops into the western Russian region of Kursk, fighting in the border region has continued for the third day, according to reports from Moscow. "Up to a thousand" Ukrainian soldiers, along with dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, have been involved in the attack since Tuesday, according to Russian reports. The Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in a statement that the advance was "up to ten kilometers", but Russian military blogger Yuri Podolyaka claims it was more than 25 kilometers.
The ISW also wrote that the "current extent and location of Ukrainian advances in the Kursk region indicate that Ukrainian forces have breached at least two Russian defense lines and a position". The Ukrainian forces are reportedly targeting a key Russian army supply hub near the town of Sudzha, which is eight kilometers from the border.
At least three German Marder armored vehicles are said to be involved in the operation, according to the Bild newspaper, citing the Russian defense ministry. Moscow claims to have evidence of this in the form of drone footage, which allegedly shows German tanks being attacked by Russian kamikaze drones. However, it is not possible to independently verify these claims, as misinformation and propaganda play a central role in war.
Ukrainian government representatives have not yet commented on the scope of the operation.
Faber: Ukraine can use German weapons in Kursk
Marcus Faber, chairman of the defense committee in the Bundestag, does not see a problem with Ukraine using German weapons delivered to them for their current advance into Russian territory. "Once the weapons are handed over to Ukraine, they become Ukrainian weapons," he told the Funke media group. "This applies to all material, including the Leopard 2 tank."
"The territory of both states is a war zone due to the Russian attack on Ukraine," Faber explained his position. "The use of weapons is governed by international law." Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU foreign policy expert, also describes the Ukrainian advance into Kursk as "clearly legal under international law in the sense of the right to self-defense".
Moreover, he says, it is "militarily strategic" because "it allows pressure to be taken off other fronts by binding or redeploying Russian forces to Kursk," Kiesewetter told the Tagesspiegel.
Stegner: "No general shift in strategy"
SPD foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner is cautious about the possible use of German weapons in the Ukrainian advance. "With regard to the defense of Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression, there was an exceptional situation in the border area when the city of Kharkiv was under great threat from attacks beyond the nearby border," Stegner told the Handelsblatt. "This did not imply a general shift in strategy regarding the use of weapons supplied from Germany." In late May, the German government allowed Ukraine to use weapons supplied by it against targets in Russia, but this was limited to the Russian border region with the Kharkiv region.
Germany has supplied Ukraine with 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. In addition to air defense systems, drones, and many other military equipment, 120 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and - together with Denmark - 58 Leopard 1 tanks have also been delivered.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz only agreed to the delivery of battle tanks in early 2023 after months of hesitation. His condition was that this should not be a German solo effort, but that especially the USA, as the most important NATO partner, should also provide Kyiv with battle tanks. The Kremlin vehemently criticizes the Western arms deliveries to Kyiv but simultaneously claims that they would have no impact on the course of the war.
Wagenknecht: "Red line" crossed
BSW party chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht warns against the use of German weapons in the Ukrainian soldiers' advance onto Russian territory. "This is a highly dangerous development," said Wagenknecht to the Funke media group newspapers. "The Federal Chancellor must phone the Ukrainian President and demand that no German weapons be used in the advances onto Russian territory," demanded the BSW chairwoman.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had indeed promised that Germany would not become a party to the war. But: "First, he allowed the Ukraine to shoot with German weapons onto Russian territory," criticized Wagenknecht. "Does the Federal Government now also permit the Ukraine to advance into Russia with German weapons? That would be the next red line to be crossed," she said.
According to Wagenknecht, the Federal Government would thereby have lied to the German public. It had been promised "that taxpayers' money and weapons from Germany would not be supplied for such attacks," said the BSW chief. The Federal Government is "drawing Germany ever deeper into the war," she added. "The danger of a major European war is thus becoming ever greater."
Wagenknecht and the BSW call for a swift end to the war in Ukraine. However, they do not demand a withdrawal of Russian troops from the country. Instead, they suggest concessions to the aggressor for the Ukraine. The BSW rejects sanctions against Russia for its war of aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of Ukrainian territory.
Birthler: BSW positions "dictated by the Kremlin"
The former Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records, Marianne Birthler, has classified the Alliance for Progress and Renewal (BSW) as a platform for Russian propaganda in Germany. "The BSW's positions on Ukraine sound as if they were dictated by the Kremlin" - to the satisfaction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Birthler to the Wednesday edition of the Berlin "Tagesspiegel". This is "supporting Putin in his dirty business".
"Mrs. Wagenknecht spreads the legend that Russia is fighting against 'fascism' in Ukraine," said Birthler further. "That is Kremlin propaganda," she emphasized. The Ukrainians are fighting for freedom and democracy, and that is what the Kremlin finds disturbing. "Putin is not fighting against fascism or NATO in truth, but against the freedom that could approach his borders in the form of Ukraine," said the Green politician.
In terms of content, the former Federal Commissioner sees a great similarity between the BSW and the AfD in foreign and migration policy. Here, traditions still existing in East Germany are sometimes drawn upon. Birthler named "the hostility towards the West, especially against America". This "already existed under Hitler, and the GDR continued it," she said.
In response to the Ukrainian advance in the Kursk region, German Marder armored vehicles have been reportedly involved, according to the Bild newspaper. However, Sahra Wagenknecht, the Left Party leader, strongly opposes this, viewing it as a "highly dangerous development" that could potentially cross another "red line" and further involve Germany in the conflict.
