Ukraine is on Russian territory, complete with German and probably NATO weapons. Possibly a perfect opportunity for Putin’s propagandists.
Kursk – “The German victory at Kursk was, according to Hitler, intended to act as a beacon for both the allies and the enemies,” says Roman Töppel; “in other words: it was intended to prove to the allies and the enemies that the Germans could not be defeated militarily on the Eastern Front,” adds the historian and author of the standard work “Kursk 1943: The Greatest Battle of the Second World War” – the fighting began on July 5, 1943. Now German tanks are apparently back in the region, controlled by Ukrainian troops. Possibly adding fuel to the fire of Vladimir Putin’s agitation against Nazism, which he sees as a threat to Russia.
Ironically, the first German tank sighted near Kursk has the same name as a model that was used in the tank battle against Russia almost 80 years ago: the Marder. However, in 1943, this name was used for a self-propelled gun with a 7.5-centimeter anti-tank gun for tank hunting. The Bundeswehr Marder is an infantry fighting vehicle with light armament for the quick and safe transport of armored infantry.
Putin’s historic opportunity: Tank battle at Kursk as basis for accusation of fascism
The historical parallels ended with the names and origin of the tanks from Germany, Töppel told the vdi newsthe organ of the Association of German Engineers. “The National Socialist rulers wanted to continue the war of annihilation against the Soviet Union with a victory at Kursk in 1943. The democratic Ukraine, on the other hand, is defending itself with its current counter-offensive against falling victim to Russian aggression,” adds Töppel. He also admits a second difference: While Russia had been expecting the long-prepared attack by the Germans, the Ukrainian attack hit the huge empire like a bolt from the blue.
“The West is not waging war against Russia directly, but indirectly. And this is a fight between democratic systems against an autocracy, against a dictatorship, against Russia.”
Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin has been trying to convince the Russian population that Ukrainians are on the wrong side of history, writes Lisa Gaufman for the Federal Agency for Civic EducationThe “Great Patriotic War”, as the Russians call the Second World War, is linked in Russia with the memory of the defeat of fascism, but above all with the survival of the nation threatened with extinction, as the political scientist summarizes.
The term “fascism” serves as a blueprint for various associations that are closely linked to the core of Russia’s post-Soviet identity, as Gaufman explains. Until long after the end of the Cold War, Russia identified itself as a “great power” and as the “liberator of Europe” – a self-image that collided with the downfall of the Soviet Union; including the switching of sides by former Soviet satellite states to the opposing side, which is represented by the European Union and above all by NATO. An ideal target for ideologues and propagandists.
Russia’s trauma of loss: useful for framing the war against Ukraine
Above all because NATO vehicles are now back in the Russian Empire – albeit in a tiny peripheral area on a negligible scale; but this is above all historically charged. For example, Sönke Neitzel repeatedly explained that the Battle of Kursk could and had been glorified as a beacon, especially by Russia. The German Reich had around 3,000 tanks and self-propelled howitzers, Russia with around 5,000. Due to the horrendous Russian losses, no real winner could be identified in the end.
The military historian of the University of Potsdam has repeatedly noted that Kursk had destroyed the morale of German soldiers – after the battle, no one from the ordinary soldier to the officer could have imagined how an enemy with such powerful resources could ever be defeated. In addition, Russia continues to commemorate the crimes committed against the Russian civilian population during the war. “In the Soviet drama and demonology of war, the perpetrators who committed atrocities against the Soviet civilian population are the embodiment of absolute evil. This aspect of Russian war commemoration has proven particularly useful in framing the war against Ukraine,” writes Gaufman.
Counteroffensive with Marder tanks: Reports of destroyed Leopard so far speculation
Finally, the Russian news agency Cup of three “Marder” tanks on Russian territory and even cites a report by the German Picture-Newspaper. Newsweekk also bases its reporting on the Picture and speaks of the use of Wisent tanks, “which are modeled on the Leopard 1 tanks manufactured in Germany”; this is misleading in that the “Wisent” is an engineer vehicle and only shares the chassis or hull with the Leopard battle tanks. It is claimed that Leopard 1 battle tanks from Ukraine were also destroyed in Kursk, but this is never confirmed.
“We are jointly convinced that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself against these attacks. To do so, it can use the weapons supplied for this purpose in accordance with its international legal obligations; including those supplied by us,” said German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit at the end of May. According to international lawyers, the right to defense extends beyond territorial borders; and the origin of the weapons used most likely plays no role.
Absurd under international law: Retreat area in one’s own country for Putin’s invasion troops
Russia should not claim a “retreat area in its own country” for itself, says Matthias Herdegen to the legal magazine Legal Tribune Online: “It would be downright absurd if an aggressor state could rely on being able to launch attacks safely from a safe zone across the border and always being able to rely on a safe retreat area in its own country. That would contradict any logic of self-defense,” said the international law professor at the University of BonnEven a Marder infantry fighting vehicle could not offer any legal grounds for attack – at least that is what the German government was convinced of at the beginning of the Ukraine war.
Germany would become a party to the war “if we – of course only hypothetically – actively intervened in the war, for example if uniformed German soldiers fought alongside Ukrainian soldiers,” says Marco Buschmann. The Federal Minister of Justice already considered Germany’s position on international law to be secure in May 2022, as he published on his ministry portal: “But if we support Ukraine in defending itself, for example by supplying weapons because it has been unjustly attacked, we will not become a party to the war.”
However, if the Federal Minister of Justice is wrong, the invasion of Russia by Ukraine would have made Germany and a part of NATO a party to the war long ago – insofar as the mutual assistance pact under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty should have taken effect long ago. As the US broadcaster SkyNews Ukrainian troops used British Challenger 2 tanks for their offensive in Kursk. However, Sky This is because the 82nd Air Assault Brigade of Ukraine is said to have been involved in the fighting for Kursk – and it has been primarily using the British Challengers since last year.
Ukraine offensive with NATO weapons: Russia remains Germany’s indirect war opponent
Neither Great Britain nor Ukraine have confirmed the use of tanks in Kursk. The report by the Russian news agency CupIn the Kursk area, the Russian 810th Marine Brigade deployed there captured at least one or even several Canadian Roshel Senator armored vehicles. Other sources speak of additional captured US Cougar and HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or Humvee or Hummer) armored vehicles.
In addition, the Russians claim to have wiped out a Ukrainian sabotage unit in the Kursk region; the news agency Reuters refers to a report by the Russian news agency Ria Novosti: “Loud Ria Russian troops seized a Swedish-made Automatic Carbine 5 assault rifle, an American-made M4 Carbine assault rifle and an M2 Browning machine gun,” writes Reuters.
Nevertheless, Germany and Russia are figuratively war opponents in the context of the Ukraine war, as historian Neitzel told the ZDF said: “The West is not waging war against Russia directly, but indirectly. And that is the fight of democratic systems against an autocracy, against a dictatorship, against Russia.”
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