War in Ukraine: Germany supplies anti-aircraft missiles

Germany apparently wants to supply more weapons to Ukraine. The Economics Ministry approved the delivery of 2,700 “Strela” anti-aircraft missiles from former NVA inventories.

Ukraine is to receive more weapons from Germany. According to information from ARD Capital Studios The Economics Ministry approved the delivery of 2,700 Strela anti-aircraft missiles. The news agencies dpa and AFP and the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had previously reported on it.

These are said to be weapons of Soviet production from former stocks of the National People’s Army (NVA) of the GDR. Germany had previously changed course in the Ukraine crisis and equipped the armed forces of the country attacked by Russia with heavy weapons.

other types of weapons

According to dpa information, the Ministry of Defense has been checking for days whether and which other weapons can be handed over to Ukraine.

On Saturday, the federal government decided to deliver 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 “Stinger” surface-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine as quickly as possible. Federal government officials said on Wednesday that “Stinger” and the rocket-propelled grenades had been handed over to Ukraine.

In addition, the NATO partners Netherlands and Estonia were approved to supply Ukraine with weapons that were manufactured in Germany or in East German stocks.

Praise from Kyiv, criticism from Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was pleased on Saturday about the announced delivery of German weapons. “Keep it up, Chancellor Olaf Scholz,” wrote Zelenskyj on Twitter.

The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the German government’s decision to send the anti-tank weapons and “Stinger”. “With this decision, the Federal Republic of Germany is not only awakening the spirits of the Cold War, but also those of the ‘hot war’,” said ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “Weapons are being sent from German soil against Russian soldiers.” Chancellor Scholz’s words at his meeting with Putin in Moscow on reconciliation between Germans and Russians after the Second World War were “particularly cynical”.