Marine inspector vacates post after Ukraine comments

Created: 2022-01-22Updated: 2022-01-23 03:02

Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach was Inspector of the German Navy in the Naval Command.

© Bernd Wüstneck/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

The Inspector of the German Navy caused serious irritation with statements about Putin and the Ukraine conflict.

The vice admiral will be relieved within hours at his own request.

Berlin - The inspector of the German Navy, Kay-Achim Schönbach, vacates his post after controversial statements on the Ukraine conflict.

The Ministry of Defense informed the representatives in the Bundestag on Saturday evening, as the German Press Agency learned.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had previously summoned the German Ambassador to Ukraine, Anka Feldhusen.

The Ministry of Defense in Berlin distanced itself from Schönbach's statements.

He will be replaced "at his own request" and initially replaced by Rear Admiral Jan Christian Kaack until a successor is found.

During an appearance in India, Vice Admiral Schönbach expressed his understanding for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“What he really wants is respect on an equal footing.

And - my God - showing respect to someone costs next to nothing, costs nothing.

So you'd ask me: It's easy to give him the respect he demands - and probably deserves."

Schönbach on the Ukraine conflict

He sees the greater threat in China, he said.

"Even we, India, Germany, need Russia because we need Russia against China," said Schönbach.

He is a devout Catholic and Russia is a Christian country - "although Putin is an atheist, it doesn't matter.

Having this big country on our side as a bilateral partner, even if it is not a democracy, (...) may keep Russia away from China.”

Schönbach said of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine: "The Crimean peninsula is gone, it will not come back." In 2014, Russia annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

Since then, rebels supported by Moscow have been fighting the pro-Western government in Kiev in the east of the country.

With a massive Russian troop deployment near Ukraine, there are fears in the West that the Kremlin may be planning an invasion of the neighboring country.

Schönbach said that Russia wants to appropriate Ukrainian territory is "nonsense".

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A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense told the dpa: "In terms of content and choice of words, the statements in no way correspond to the position of the Federal Ministry of Defense." to relieve my duties and responsibilities as Inspector of the Navy with immediate effect.” He stated: “My thoughtless statements on security and military policy made in India weigh increasingly on my office.

In order to prevent further damage from the German Navy, the Bundeswehr, but above all from the Federal Republic of Germany, I consider this step to be necessary.” Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) accepted his request.

Schönbach's resignation was logical

The Chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), said: "With his statements, Vice Admiral Schönbach questioned the European security structure and international law.

His resignation is logical.”

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated in a letter that the German ambassador had been summoned, that it was about the "unacceptability of the statements made by the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Kay-Achim Schönbach." Ukraine will return and that our state will not meet the criteria for membership of NATO”.

Ukraine also once again complained that Germany did not want to supply any defense weapons to the country: "We express our deep disappointment at the position of the German government regarding the non-granting of defense weapons to Ukraine."

Ukraine had repeatedly asked Germany for arms supplies.

The federal government has so far stuck to its clear no.

Federal Defense Minister Lambrecht told the “Welt am Sonntag”: “Weapons deliveries would not be helpful at the moment – ​​that is the consensus in the federal government.” dpa