The German armed forces (Bundeswehr) are deliberately excluding soldiers with Russian roots from the composition of the combat brigade deployed to NATO's eastern flank in Lithuania. This is revealed by a large-scale investigation by Bild, citing internal sources from the Defense Ministry in Berlin. The decision concerns the so-called “late migrants“ (Spätaussiedler) – ethnic Germans who immigrated to Germany from the countries of the former Soviet Union, mainly from the Russian Federation.
According to German media, the army command has imposed a tacit but strict ban on the inclusion of these servicemen in the redeployed units. The motive for the drastic measure is related to concerns for national security and potential attempts to espionage and blackmail by Russian secret services.
Fear of blackmail and hybrid threats
The military leadership in Berlin fears that soldiers with Russian roots or relatives who still live in Russia could become easy targets for the Kremlin. Intelligence services warn that Moscow is able to exert serious psychological and administrative pressure on the families of these servicemen in order to extract classified information about NATO's defense plans.
“The fears are that through threats against their relatives in Russia, these soldiers may be forced to cooperate with Russian intelligence in a critical area like Lithuania“, analysts told the publication.
The establishment of the German brigade in Lithuania is one of the most important pillars for containing possible aggression on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance. Plans call for the end of the year to have nearly 5,000 German military personnel with a permanent base, making the security of personnel an absolute priority.
Reactions and accusations of discrimination
The revelations of Bild have already caused heated debates in the Bundestag and a wave of discontent among Russian-German organizations in Germany. Critics of the decision point out that such an approach borders on institutional discrimination and calls into question the loyalty of thousands of German citizens who honestly serve under the flag of the Bundeswehr.
The official leadership of the German army refused to comment directly on specific cases, but emphasized that security checks on servicemen sent on foreign missions near the Russian borders have been extremely tightened in recent months.
Sources: Bild, Bundeswehr, German Ministry of Defense