Stinger missiles and "Tank Hunter"... Russia's war on Ukraine changes Germany's historical position since World War II

LONDON -

A historic and unprecedented decision signed by Germany, represented by its abandonment of its position not to give arms to any country in a conflict zone, to announce the provision of Ukraine with weapons and military vehicles, which is the first time that the German authorities have taken a similar step since World War II.

It seemed clear that Germany was making a radical change in its stance on the war in Ukraine, from a modest stance that drew frank Western criticism, to taking the initiative again, announcing a military aid package, and coordinating efforts that led to the expulsion of Russian financial institutions from the “SWIFT” regime. SWIFT).

Germany's entry into the line to supply Ukraine with missiles was accompanied by an American decision to announce the lifting of military support to Ukraine, and a British decision to send more missiles.

Why did the German position change so drastically?

Do Western missiles that reach Ukraine have the ability to change the equation on the ground?

Historic decision

One week before the Russian war on Ukraine, Germany refused a request from Estonia to allow it to send German weapons to Ukraine, and German Chancellor Olaf Schulz justified this position by his country’s rooted doctrine of not providing any country in a demilitarization zone, “and this has been going on for decades and will not change.” ".

Germany has endured a lot of Western pressures, which amounted to public criticism from some of them, as did the British Foreign Secretary when she criticized the heavy German dependence on Russian gas, as Germany imports 55 percent of its gas needs from Russia, and has been defending the "Nord Stream 2" line ( Nord Stream 2) Gas until the last moment before deciding to suspend work with it.

However, the scenes of the bombing of the capital, Kiev, and other Ukrainian cities embarrassed the Germans, which the German chancellor expressed as a "turning point." Indeed, Germany has moved to the front lines in supporting Ukraine militarily, and tightening economic sanctions on Russia.

Germany and the Russian Gas Prison

In an expressive image, the British newspaper "Telegraph" placed a picture of the German chancellors who ruled the country for two decades (Schroeder, Merkel and Schulz) in a cage in front of a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to indicate that Germany is locked up in Russian gas.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder spent the past few months fiercely defending Nord Stream, and even openly criticized Ukraine and demanded it stop "flexing muscles" before it turned out that he joined the board of directors of the Russian company, Gazprom.

As for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, she has been trying for years to keep the doors of negotiations open with Russia, and to try to entice it with economic relations to change many of its positions. The German Foreign Ministry had previously warned Europeans during the Russian intervention in Georgia that imposing severe sanctions on Russia would “close any window for communication with Russia.” .

And it is not gas alone that controls this lenient approach to Russia and is based on trying to turn Russia into a friend of the West. In a lengthy article by the senior researcher on Russian affairs at Chathamhouse, John Love says that there is a network of commercial, political and even cultural relations between Russia and Germany, but he points out that Russian President Putin has played on the rope of Germany's historical guilt since World War II and is still using the matter as a card until now.

The language of missiles

Germany chose to open its support for Ukraine with Stinger missiles, which are man-portable air defense missiles, and they work as a surface-to-air missile with infrared radiation. This missile can be adapted to launch from ground vehicles, or even from military helicopters, which are Stinger-to-air missiles ".

The range of this missile is 4800 meters, and it can hit a target at a low altitude within 3800 meters, which will force warplanes to avoid the low flights that it sometimes makes in the sky of Kiev.

It is available in 29 countries in the world, and it is American-made, but its production takes place in Germany and Turkey, and Germany has decided to deliver these missiles from the army treasury for the first time since World War II.

Germany joined the United States and Britain in providing Ukraine with air defense missiles, of which Ukraine has acquired thousands, and US military estimates say that the Ukrainian army used them surprisingly by the American military leaders themselves.

tank hunter

Among the military aid that the United States announced to send to Ukraine is the FGM-148 Javelin missile, which is considered one of the most expensive and most advanced defense systems, and for this reason it is called the “Tank Hunter”.

This anti-armor and anti-tank missile is considered one of the most accurate weapons that can be carried on the shoulder, and the most effective in the US Army, the latter considers this missile one of the jewels within its system, and therefore granting it to any country is a very complex political and security process.

This missile operates in infrared, with great possibilities to enlarge the field of view before launching towards the target, and when launched, it rises by about 160 meters until it hits the armored vehicle or tank from above.

The price of a single missile is $78,000, with a range of 2.5 kilometers and a weight of 23 kilometers, and it is capable of penetrating armored objects with a thickness of 800 millimeters, and given the development of the armor of modern tanks, the missile targets the upper part of the tank to damage it.