Stating Crimea Will Not Return to Ukraine Resulted in Forced Resignation: German Navy Chief Case

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst

A scandal has erupted in Germany over Crimea because a commander of the Navy, who declared that the peninsula will never return to Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin should be respected, paid a heavy price for his outspoken remarks as he was forced to resign. This demonstrates that Berlin’s relations with Moscow undermines the unity of the newly formed ruling coalition in Germany and negatively impacts its relations with other NATO members.

“I have asked Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to relieve me from my duties,” Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach. “My rash remarks in India… are increasingly putting a strain on my office… I consider this step necessary to avert further damage to the German Navy, the German forces, and, in particular, the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Speaking at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses last Friday, the German Navy Chief said that the Crimean peninsula is “gone” and “not coming back”. He then questioned the prevailing Western belief that Moscow wants to invade Ukraine, saying: “Does Russia really want a small and tiny strip of Ukraine soil to integrate into their country? No, this is nonsense. Putin is probably putting pressure because he can do it and he splits EU opinion. What he really wants is respect.”

The now former Vice Admiral wants to maintain friendly relations between Europe and Moscow. It appears though that one of his main motivations is because Moscow can be important for Germany to confront China.

“[Putin] wants high-level respect and, my God, giving some respect is low cost, even no cost. If I was asked, it is easy to give him the respect he really demands and probably also deserves. Russia is an old country, Russia is an important country. Even we India, Germany, need Russia. We need Russia against China,” he said.

However, despite the suggestion that Germany “need Russia against China,” there is little chance that Moscow would raise tensions with Beijing for the sake of relations with Berlin. The Kremlin repeatedly stresses that its bilateral relations are not determined by third parties, and in this same manner this policy will continue, especially as Sino-Russian relations are deepening as the Anglo Alliance (US-UK-Australia) intensify their provocations against Moscow.

According to Der Spiegel, Schönbach’s speech angered German authorities. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht met with military Inspector General Eberhard Zorn and her PR adviser. They decided that the vice admiral should clarify his words, apologize, and meet with Inspector General Zorn.

The next day Schönbach expressed remorse and resigned, explaining that “My comments on defense policy during a discussion at an organization in India reflected my personal opinion at the time. They do not reflect the official position of the Ministry of Defense.”

The scandal erupted in the context of Berlin banning the Baltic states from transferring German artillery to Ukraine. Therefore, Kiev has several reasons to be angry and is why German Ambassador Anka Feldhusento was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Germany’s recent statements about the impossibility of transferring defense weapons to Ukraine, particular due to permission to third parties, the futility of returning Crimea, hesitations to disconnect Russia from SWIFT – do not correspond to the level of our relations and the current security situation.”

Due to Schönbach’s “controversy” of highlighting reality, he was immediately placed on Ukraine’s Myrotvorets database on the grounds of undermining the country’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

It appears that Germany’s new coalition government, which was formed with difficulties late last year, is in danger of splitting. When the parties formed their coalition, the gas pipeline project was not mentioned in the agreement as they had different positions on the issue – the Greens are firmly against the project, while the Social Democrats and the Liberal Democrats support it.

Janis Kluge from the German Institute of International and Security Affairs explained that: “This is a real bottleneck in the alliance, which risks escalating tensions. Nord Stream 2 is a test of government power.”

The Green Party claims that Nord Stream 2 will increase Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, but the Liberal Democrats pointed to the importance of the project to the German economy. Prime Minister Olaf Scholz has refused to publicly impose sanctions against the project. However, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (of the Green Party) said Nord Stream 2 could not be launched amid an escalation of tensions in Ukraine. In response, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht stressed that the two issues were not related.

In this way, there are clear divisions even within the German state on how relations with Russia should proceed. For now, those who want positive and stable relations with Moscow are prevailing.

None-the-less, in efforts to preserve relations with Russia, Germany has quarrelled with other NATO members. Berlin does not rule out imposing sanctions and does fear Russian “aggression” in Ukraine. However, German policy is still different to the Anglo Alliance. The US and UK are stepping up their military support for Kiev by sending weapons and equipment, whilst Germany has officially vowed not to provide any weapons and banned the Baltic states from transferring artillery systems to Ukraine.

It is also noted that Berlin objects to the suggestion of removing Russia from the SWIFT financial system and demands Ukraine to implement the Minsk agreements, something it categorically refuses to do. Scholz has also announced that he does not want new NATO members anytime soon. In this way, although Germany remains in favor of negotiations and reaching a consensus with Moscow, this thought remains delicate in Berlin and hinges on limiting the power and influence of The Greens.

Source: InfoBrics