Dozens of extremists from Germany fight in Ukraine

This is reported by Welt am Sonntag.

The German Interior Ministry reported that more than 60 volunteers involved in extremism or politically motivated crimes had gone to the war zone.

In addition, there is evidence that 39 people traveled to Ukraine with the intention of participating in hostilities, 27 of them pro-Russian and 12 pro-Ukrainian. For the vast majority of them, the authorities have specific information that they took part in hostilities.

According to Germany’s Interior Ministry, there are both right-wing and left-wing extremists among them. However, most people consider the government to be in the realm of alien ideology. According to the special services, this includes, for example, joining a separatist group.

In fact, the number of volunteers from Germany fighting in Ukraine is higher. The German authorities only collect data on people associated with extremism. In addition, there are many former soldiers in the Ukrainian army - some of them previously trained in the Bundeswehr - who joined the International Legion as part of the Ukrainian army.

Participating in hostilities in Ukraine is not punishable under German law, as long as it is about the regular army. The situation is different with volunteer units or militias, participation in which can already be qualified as mercenarism, said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Justice.

However, foreign policy expert and deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee Roderich Kiesewetter criticized this situation.

"People or extremists who voluntarily join the Russian Armed Forces or terrorist groups to participate in an attack on Ukraine must be brought to justice upon their return to Germany," he said.

Kiesewetter also noted that participation in the war on the side of the Russian Federation itself implies systemic involvement in war crimes and human rights violations.

• A number of German politicians have again called on the government to supply Ukraine with Taurus long-range cruise missiles, with Bundestag member of the opposition Christian Democratic Union Roderich Kiesewetter saying it should be done immediately.