Spiegel: Angela Merkel Played An Important Role In Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

• 12.10.2025, 16:22

New data has emerged on the Russian army's preparation for modern conflicts.

New evidence about Germany's role in training the Russian army for modern conflicts raises questions about the influence of Berlin's policies on the security of Eastern Europe before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This is reported by Spiegel.

The former German Chancellor Angela Merkel assisted the Russian army in mastering modern combat techniques before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. According to the newspaper, the Rheinmetall defense concern was developing simulators, software and equipment for the Russian army, expecting to receive a contract worth about 1 billion euros.

German experience in the service of Moscow

With the support of Merkel's government, it was planned to create a network of Russian training centers on the model of the German Altmark training ground, where simulations of modern combat operations were practiced. The purpose of such centers was to improve the effectiveness of Russian troops and prepare them for modern combat scenarios.

Political Decisions and Consequences

At the NATO summit in Bucharest in April 2008, Ukraine and Georgia were denied accession to the Membership Action Plan, which was partly facilitated by Merkel's position.

A few months after that, Moscow launched military action against Georgia. Politicians in Berlin believed that cooperation with Russia would contribute to stability in the region, but in practice it strengthened Russia's military capabilities before invading Ukraine.