Germany investigates participation of its military in competitions involving Russian troops – Bild

Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence is looking into reports that German soldiers may have participated in a competition where Russian military personnel were also in attendance. Source: German newspaper Bild, as reported by European Pravda Details: The newspaper noted that archery competitions organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM) took place in Bangladesh at the end of February 2024.

A photo shows Russian soldiers standing next to the head of the German delegation, Lieutenant Colonel Christian Lutzkendorf.

Bild reported that Lithuania sharply criticised the actions of the German Defence Ministry, and Vilnius itself has been boycotting competitions involving Russians since 2022. A representative from the hybrid threats department at the Lithuanian Defence Ministry believes that by attending the competition, Russia is aiming to gain international recognition despite ongoing sanctions.

"It is unbelievable that Germany and other countries, in the third year of the war [in Ukraine], are still behaving as though Russia's aggressive war against our eastern neighbours does not exist," the Lithuanian representative said. In a comment to Bild, the German Defence Ministry stated that it had spoken with those responsible and issued a warning to the German military.

The competition participants were made aware that such photos were deemed "unacceptable." However, Bild conducted research and found that German soldiers had attended two other events involving Russians: the 79th CISM General Assembly in May 2024 in Tanzania and the organisation's basketball championship in Serbia in June. Relevant photos featuring German soldiers have been posted.

The newspaper sent an inquiry to the German Defence Ministry, which responded that it had begun investigating the participation of German soldiers in a summer competition that included Russian and Belarusian troops. The Bundeswehr (the German military) pledged that if the participation of German soldiers in the competition were confirmed, it would be "fundamentally cancelled". Notably, Belarusian and Russian athletes are not allowed to attend international competitions if they support Russia's war against Ukraine.

However, they are allowed to participate in some competitions under a neutral flag.

Background: It was recently reported that, despite sanctions, German companies may have delivered more than 300 shipments to Russia in 2023, which could have been used in the production of vehicle parts or ammunition.

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