German soldiers "on the wallpaper" for taking pictures with Russian soldiers at a sports competition
German soldiers participating in several sports competitions took photos with Russian soldiers in February in Bangladesh, reported "Bild".
During the event, eight Russian soldiers posed alongside seven members of the German armed forces, including the head of the German delegation, Lt. Col. Christian Lickendorf. A spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense told Bild that the ministry reacted immediately after the photos were published, and that Bundeswehr soldiers participating in the CISM competitions "knew that such photos were unacceptable."
However, according to a Bild investigation, Bundeswehr soldiers were photographed with Russian soldiers at two more CISM events and after "unprecedented" photos taken in February, including the 79th CISM General Assembly in Tanzania in May and a CISM basketball championship in Serbia in June.
Although at none of those events there was a direct sports confrontation between German and Russian soldiers, joint "technical meetings" and "official dinners" were held with the participation of German and Russian officers. The German Ministry of Defense, in response to Bild's request, announced that since the summer it has started checking the participation of German soldiers in competitions together with the Russian and Belarusian armies.
If such statements are confirmed, the participation of German soldiers in future matches will be cancelled, writes "Bild".