Germany is conducting an investigation into the participation of its military in competitions attended by Russian soldiers - Bild

The German Ministry of Defense initiated the inspection because of the participation of its military in a competition attended by Russian soldiers. The event was organized by the military sports association CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire).

The competition took place back in February 2023 in Bangladesh, but joint photos of German and Russian soldiers have only just appeared online. This was reported by BILD.

The German Defense Ministry said it had responded to the incident. The ministry assured that they have been checking the information since the summer and promised to cancel their participation in the competition if the participation of the Russian and Belarusian military is confirmed.

At the award ceremony, eight Russian soldiers posed directly next to Bundeswehr soldiers, including the head of the German delegation, Lieutenant Colonel Christian Lutzkendorf. Criticism over the joint photos with the occupiers comes, in particular, from Lithuania, which has been boycotting CISM events with Russia since 2022. A representative of the Hybrid Threats Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said that by participating in CISM, Russia is seeking international recognition amid sanctions. Lithuania was also outraged that Germany and other countries, in the third year of the war, are still acting as if Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine does not exist.

The German Ministry of Defense said that after the photo was published, they immediately reacted and discussed the situation with the responsible persons. Bundeswehr soldiers who participated in CISM were told that such photos were unacceptable.

Moreover, after the "unacceptable" photos in February, German soldiers took pictures with Russian soldiers at two subsequent CISM events. These included the 79th CISM General Assembly in May in Tanzania and the CISM Basketball Championship in June in Serbia.

It is noteworthy that in 2023, the 78th CISM General Assembly was held in Moscow. At that time, 170 representatives from more than 50 countries took part in the event, with representatives of 25 more countries joining via video link. The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov and Russian dictator's aide Igor Levitin. The CISM leadership was represented by military officers from Brazil, Nigeria and China.

The acting president of the council, Colonel Dirk Schwede from Germany, and Italian Navy Captain Roberto Recchia spoke via video link. In addition, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and guests of the General Assembly.

"We highly appreciate the principled and firm position of the Council, which invariably remains committed to its motto "Friendship through sport," the Kremlin leader said in his address.

As a reminder, 59% of Germans expressed a desire for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resume telephone conversations with Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin. Only 26% of respondents opposed such an initiative, and 15% have not decided on their opinion.

Earlier it was reported that almost half of German residents believe that Ukraine should cede part of its territory to achieve peace. At the same time, more than a third of Germans oppose any territorial concessions.

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