German, Russian soldiers taking part in same sports events - media

That’s according to Bild, Ukrinform reports.

Journalists noted that the International Military Sports Association CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire) never expelled Russia from its ranks and regularly organizes events where the Russian military, even uniformed ones, are allowed participate. In late February 2024, the archery competition was held in Bangladesh.

"At the award ceremony, eight Russian soldiers posed directly next to seven Bundeswehr service members, including the head of the German delegation, Lt. Col. Christian Lützkendorf," noted author Julian Röpke.

Criticism has come from other countries, such as Lithuania, which has been boycotting CISM events with Russia's participation since 2022.

A spokesman for the Hybrid Threats Department at the Ministry of Defense admitted in an interview with Bild: “By participating in the CISM, Russia seeks international recognition against the backdrop of sanctions. It is incomprehensible that Germany and other countries are still acting, a third year into the war, as if Russia's war of aggression against our eastern neighbors never happened."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense told the newspaper: "When we became aware of the photographs, the Ministry responded immediately and discussed the situation with those responsible... It was made clear that such photographs are unacceptable."

However, Bild found that Bundeswehr soldiers were photographed with Russian soldiers at two subsequent CISM events even after it was deemed "unacceptable", including at the 79th CISM General Assembly in May in Tanzania and at the CISM basketball championship in June in Serbia. Although there were no competitions directly between German and Russian soldiers at either event, there were joint "technical meetings" and "official dinners" with the participation of German and Russian officers.

The author says it especially bitter that at the basketball tournament in Serbia, it was not just the Russian major-general who coordinated the pairings of Germany’s men's and women's teams, but the Russian military was also responsible for ensuring that the athletes passed doping control.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense assured that they have reacted to the incident and that the participation of the Bundeswehr will be canceled in principle if the Russian and Belarusian military continue taking part.

Russia has been waging war against Ukraine for almost 1,000 days, killing hundreds of civilians and destroying Ukrainian infrastructure on a daily basis.