The grotesque image of German tanks back in Ukraine once again triggered a chorus of voices in Russia, marveling at the amnesia and folly of the West. Have Germans erased from their minds the memory of German tanks on Russian soil, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, and the horror that wrought? As several Russian experts pointed out in commenting on the decision of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the descendants of those Russians who fought the Nazi invaders, and destroyed their tanks (Panthers and Tigers), certainly haven’t forgotten. And Germany will pay for its folly.
As reported by TASS, Russia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, warned yesterday that the modern Leopard tanks will be destroyed just as the Tigers and Panthers were during World War II. The descendants of those who liberated the world of Nazism “preserve the historical memory of the crimes of Hitler’s forces and their henchmen—the Banderites—in Ukraine. They perfectly preserve the picture of Tigers and Panthers burning on Russian soil in the memory of the modern generation. They will remember burning modern Leopards as well.”
Kolokoltsev explained that the “U.S. masters of the Kiev leadership” aren’t bothered by huge human losses, or by the glorification of Nazism, “or of the unprecedented corruption of their puppets.” The subservient Ukrainian elites willingly have turned a “once brotherly republic and good neighbor to an outpost of infrastructure that is hostile to Russia, to turn our borders into an area of `controlled geopolitical instability’.”
Andrey Kortunov, general director of the Russian International Affairs Council, had a similar message, adding that the West “does not let the Germans hear their inner voice.” He points out that, while there is an internal rift in Germany over the sending of the tanks to Kiev, Germany succumbed “to colossal pressure.” The U.S. played a major role, but so did the Baltic states.
Even more important, he says, is that there is “still internal discussion,” given that this decision bore “a heavy load of political symbolism for the people of Germany, who will again see German tanks in Donbass…this brings to mind various unpleasant associations for the Germans as well.” Yet it was clear that Scholz would give in, he says. He warns that Germany’s own defense capabilities will be harmed by this decision. He rules out Germany sending a large number of tanks, as the “Bundeswehr itself is not in the best shape now.”
Finally, Nikolay Mezhevich of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, asks “what will London or Washington say when Russian gunners start knocking out German tanks in Ukraine? They don’t need a strong Russia, but they don’t need a strong Germany either.” He also points to historical precedent: “Our opponents do not really understand that the emergence of German tanks in the post-Soviet space will mean a turning point in the Russian public mind. The Germans will be forced to feel the consequences of their decision.”
