German navy chief resigns over Crimea & Putin comments

    Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach has stepped down amid diplomatic row caused by his ‘personal opinion’

    By
    Jim W. Dean and Gordon Duff
    -
    10
    1006

    RT is funded by the Russian government

    Rt/Moscow: Germany’s Navy chief, vice-admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach, has vacated his post on Saturday evening – just a day after he said that Crimea “will never come back”, and that Putin and Russia “probably deserve respect.”

    Schoenbach asked Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to “relieve me from my duties with immediate effect,” with the minister accepting his resignation, according to a statement cited by Reuters.



    Speaking at an event organized by an Indian think tank in New Delhi on Friday, the vice-admiral dismissed as “nonsense” the notion that Russia was “interested in having a small and tiny strip of Ukraine soil and integrating it into their country.”

    Schoenbach went on to claim that what President Putin wanted was the West to “respect” Russia, adding that “it is easy to give him the respect he really demands — and probably also deserves.” Addressing the issue of Crimea, the German Navy commander opined that the “peninsula is gone” and “will never come back — this is a fact.”

    Schoenbach’s comments, which he insists were made in a private capacity, stirred up a diplomatic scandal, with Ukraine’s foreign ministry summoning the German ambassador to the country, Anka Feldhusen, on Saturday. Kiev described his remarks as “unacceptable.”

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    Germany’s defense ministry immediately distanced itself from the controversial statements, with its spokesperson characterizing the vice-admiral’s comments as not reflecting “in any way the position” of the ministry, both “in terms of the content and choice of words.”

    In an apparent bid to diffuse the situation, the now former Navy commander took to Twitter earlier on Saturday, saying that he “should not have done it that way,” and describing his remarks as a “clear mistake.” Several hours later, his photo was removed from the official Navy chief’s Twitter handle and its bio changed to “currently vacant”.

    Moscow has consistently rebutted claims made by Western media and senior officials, according to which Russia is allegedly planning to invade its neighbor any day now. The Kremlin has called the idea “fake news,” while making it clear that it takes issue with the fact that some Western nations are sending weapons to Ukraine. Last month, Russia sent proposals to the US and NATO for treaties with European security guarantees, but so far negotiations were unsuccessful in finding terms for an agreement.

     

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    10 COMMENTS

    1. Remember, the Carpathia-Ukraine territory was Hungarian homeland, for a thousand years, until the ‘Versailles’ so called, ‘Peace Treaty’, in 1919, when that part of Hungary was RIPPED out of the Homeland and attached to ‘The Soviet Union’! Not to Ukraine! Give IT back to Hungary!

    2. Only TRUTH will set us Free! The Crimea was part of Russia for centuries! It was the ‘Russian Riviera’! Arbitrarily was attached to the Ukraine in 1953!

    3. This is the greatest shame of the Western world when everything is censored, when you have to be a hypocrite. And if you express your opinion, the millstones of the Ministry of “pravda” will grind you to powder.
      I understand that now admirals, generals, deputies and presidents in the West will be put with the permission and approval of Kiev?
      😂

    4. So, privately voicing honest opinions by NATO top officers can only be practiced at great peril to their careers. Hope he was due to be pensioned very soon, In 50 Transatlantis states, he would probably be denied a pension too.

    5. He spoke the truth! Except that trying to use Russia against China is a dead end! All this hostility against China is from screwed minds! China isn’t sending forces around the world, not has bases the world over!
      Typical Anglo-Saxon rubbish!§

    6. This was clearly not a Freudian slip. He was telling the truth and he is sure of it. It must be hard to work in an environment of total lies and censorship, hypocrisy.
      Don’t regret anything, man! 👍

      • Germany had their Maidan decades before the Ukraine did. It is only now that it becomes too visible. Germany is worse off than Ukraine by far, there is no political liberty there whatsoever.

    7. How dare he make a statement that is not in line with the occupying powers. A good candidate for suicide with two shots to the back of the head.

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