Germany decided on Wednesday to send more weapons to Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion. 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles went east after the German government “approved additional support for Ukraine.”
Ironically, these are Soviet Strela missiles that come from the stockpiles of the army of former communist East Germany. These stocks were integrated into those of the German National Army, the Bundeswehr, during the reunification of Germany in 1990 and are therefore more than thirty years old.
A turning point in German post-war politics
In addition, the German Ministry of Defense has sent 18,000 additional military helmets to Kyiv in recent days, adding to the initial supply of 5,000 units, bringing the total to 23,000. Berlin has already authorized the delivery of 500 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv on Saturday , 1,400 anti-tank missile launchers and nine howitzers, all of which have arrived in Ukraine in the meantime. Howitzers are also Soviet-made.
Berlin’s decision to send weapons to Ukraine marks a turning point in German post-war policy, as the country has always banned itself from exporting “deadly” weapons to conflict zones because of its Nazi history. Chancellor Olaf Scholz justified this reversal with the “caesura” created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is forcing Germany to rethink its priorities.
The issue of using Soviet equipment to help Ukraine has been the subject of some debate in the country for several weeks. “The GDR does not guarantee in 1989 that the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall will take place without violence, so that now its weapons can be used against Russia,” the last leader of the GDR communist state, Egon Krenz, told the daily. Berliner Zeitung.