In paramilitary center
German neo-Nazis trained in weapons in Russia
06/05/2022, 2:15 p.m
German neo-Nazis were also trained in a paramilitary training center in St. Petersburg. The operator is involved in the Ukraine war. The left demands that German authorities investigate the participants – and prevent this in the future.
Members of the NPD youth organization Young Nationalists and the neo-Nazi micro-party Third Way have in the past attended courses at a paramilitary training center run by the far-right organization Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) in St Petersburg. This was stated by the Federal Ministry of the Interior in its answer to a question from the left-wing member of the Bundestag Martina Renner, which was submitted to the editorial network Germany (RND).
“German security authorities must prevent German neo-Nazis from receiving paramilitary training in Russia,” Martina Renner told RND. “I also expect law enforcement authorities to take action against people who have taken part in training courses in Russia in the past,” added the left-wing parliamentary group’s domestic policy spokeswoman. Neo-Nazis who were trained to use weapons in Russia pose a major threat to internal security.
The Russian Imperial Movement’s armed wing, the Russian Imperial Legion, is also involved in combat operations against the Ukrainian military in the course of Russia’s war of aggression. As early as 2014, fighters from the organization were deployed in Donbass on the side of pro-Russian separatists.
The “Focus” had already reported in 2020 on the participation of the German right-wing extremists in such paramilitary training courses, citing security circles. At the time, however, the Federal Ministry of the Interior said in response to media inquiries that it had no concrete information on this.