Tag Archives: Russia

Why older Germans are opting for military service?

June 19, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Ah, because younger Germans aren’t?

Prepared to defend: Why older Germans are opting for military service – Thomas Hüser did not serve his country in uniform and with a weapon in the early 1990s, but instead opted to work for a year as a care assistant for the elderly – as was his right under Germany’s laws on alternative military service.

However, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the 54-year-old had a major rethink on his earlier moral stance on taking up arms.

“In the face of global threats, serving in the armed forces is a question of solidarity. Only a strong military can protect us,” said Hüser, a communications expert and manager who runs a zinc smelter in the northern German state of Lower Saxony.

German of the day: Kleine grüne Männchen

June 10, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means little green men.

Russia could send “little green men” to test NATO’s resolve, German intelligence boss warns – Russia is determined to test the resolve of the NATO alliance, including by extending its confrontation with the West beyond the borders of Ukraine, the Germany’s foreign intelligence chief told the Table Media news organization.

Bruno Kahl, head of the Federal Intelligence Service, said his agency had clear intelligence indications that Russian officials believed the collective defence obligations enshrined in the NATO treaty no longer had practical force…

Without detailing the nature of his intelligence sources, Kahl said Russian officials were envisaging confrontations that fell short of a full military engagement that would test whether the U.S. would really live up to its mutual aid obligations under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

“They don’t need to dispatch armies of tanks for that,” he said. “It’s enough to send little green men to Estonia to protect supposedly oppressed Russian minorities.”

German of the day: Bunker

June 8, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means bunker.

Germany plans to revamp shelter system in case of Russian attack as fears of a major war rise – Fearing Russia could attack another European country within the next four years, Germany is planning to expand its network of bomb-proof bunkers and shelters, according to reports.

“For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war was not a scenario for which we needed to prepare,” Ralph Tiesler, the head of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, said in a recent interview as reported by The Guardian.

“That has changed,” Tiesler said. “We are concerned about the risk of a major war of aggression in Europe.”

Developing long-range missiles is one thing…

May 29, 2025 By in Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Developing long-range thinking is quite another.

German chancellor promises to help Ukraine produce long-range missiles – Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has told Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky that Berlin will help Kyiv produce long-range missiles to defend itself from Russian attack.

“We want to talk about production and we will not publicly discuss details,” he said, when asked by reporters in Berlin if Germany would supply Kyiv with its Taurus missiles.

World champions of misjudgement accuse Donald Trump of misjudgement

May 21, 2025 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

So I judge this to probably be another misjudgement.

Trump misjudged influence on Putin, German defence minister says – U.S. President Donald Trump misjudged his influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Germany’s defence minister said on Wednesday, after a phone call between the two leaders yielded no progress in Ukraine peace talks, prompting Europe to announce new Russia sanctions.

“I suspect he assessed his negotiating position incorrectly,” Boris Pistorius told the Deutschlandfunk radio broadcaster, following Trump’s now-abandoned efforts to pressure Putin into accepting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

“Could Germany return to Russian gas via Nord Stream?”

April 26, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Could the Pope be a Catholic?

Hmmm. A moral high ground dilemma. For now. First get slammed after making yourself dependent on Russian oil – knowingly, eyes wide open – then persist in playing the hardcore sanctions hawk after the war in Ukraine (for Ukraine) is long lost. Like I said, for now.

For months, there has been speculation that the United States and Russia want the Nord Stream gas pipelines repaired and flowing again. The question remains whether Germany might agree.

We’ll show those Russkies…

April 17, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, History Tags: , , , Leave a comment

This time.

Russian, Belarusian ambassadors not invited to German parliament’s WWII memorial event – The German parliament has kept the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus off its guest list for a special sitting on May 8 marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe, a spokesperson for the legislature said on Thursday.

Keep on fighting with what?

April 11, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

And with whom?

Ukraine will be able to keep fighting, say Britain and Germany – Germany and Britain sent a message to Russia on Friday that Ukraine will be able to keep up its fight thanks to Western support, even as the U.S. pushed ahead with talks with Moscow.

The European powers for the first time co-led a meeting of the so-called Ramstein group of some 50 countries that give military support to Ukraine after Washington gave up the chair, and said they could not detect any signs that Vladimir Putin was ready for peace.

As they met, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff flew into Russia for what looked likely to be talks with the Russian president.

Germans welcoming a US initiative?

March 28, 2025 By in Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Germany debates proposal to re-open Nord Stream pipelines – Members of the conservative CDU party, likely to lead the next German government, have raised the possibility of importing Russian gas again. The far right has welcomed the idea.

Parliamentarians of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have caused a political row in Germany by welcoming an apparent US initiative to repair and re-open the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.

German war machine now ready for war

March 22, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Or for wear.

Or at least the German navy is.

Wow. That didn’t take very long.

German Navy sailors receive brand new uniform – With the new development of the shipboard combat suit, which began in 2023, the German Navy (Deutsche Marine) is presenting a new uniform for its seafaring personnel for the first time. The sailors will be equipped with it from the end of the year.