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German soldiers are stationed in Lithuania as part of a NATO initiative (archive picture)
Photo: Karolis Kavolelis / Scanpix / imago images
Federal Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has announced after the alleged misconduct by Bundeswehr soldiers in Lithuania that she will relieve the entire train. "In Germany, all the necessary investigations and proceedings will continue and the consequences will be drawn," she wrote on Twitter. The derailments damaged the reputation of the Bundeswehr and Germany and would be severely punished.
A SPIEGEL report had previously made it known that the Bundeswehr had meanwhile withdrawn four German soldiers from a NATO mission in Lithuania after alleged serious misconduct at an internal celebration that got out of hand.
Investigations had revealed initial suspicions of crimes such as sexual assault, insult, possibly with a racist background, and coercion, as well as extremist behavior, according to the Ministry of Defense.
At the party, which took place in a hotel in the Rukla region at the end of April, right-wing extremist and anti-Semitic songs are said to have been sung.
There are also film recordings of a suspected sexual assault.
The allegations are so explosive that the Ministry of Defense in Berlin was informed of the case at the end of last week.
Kramp-Karrenbauer had already said that those who might know something about the incidents but did not pass on information would also be held accountable.
When the soldiers were questioned about the incidents in the hotel, it emerged that the main suspects had pressured other soldiers on the train not to report.
Lack of 569 rounds of ammunition
In the course of the investigation, according to SPIEGEL information, it was also announced that at the beginning of April the lack of 569 rounds of ammunition was found.
The Ministry of Defense informed the representatives in the Defense Committee about this.
The Bundeswehr sent a team of investigators to do this.
In particular, it should check for a possible booking error after a target practice.
The "Enhanced Forward Presence" (eFP) mission in Lithuania is part of NATO's deterrent against Russia.
Since 2017, several hundred German soldiers have been training local units in Lithuania and carrying out joint exercises in order to be ready for action in the shortest possible time in an emergency.
The soldiers regularly spend weekends in the hotel to recover from the exercises.
The entire incident also raises questions because the German soldiers in the NATO camp are strictly prohibited from alcohol.
mgb / lukewarm
