It's Friday, the Defense Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany goes by the name of Boris Pistorius.

He is at the Ramstein Air Base in the Palatinate.

The assembled world press wear thick hats and scarves, Pistorius speaks into a motley array of microphones and says that he has instructed "his house" to check the availability of battle tanks.

Justus Bender

Editor in the politics of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.

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Oliver Georgi

Editor in the politics of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.

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Konrad Schuller

Political correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper in Berlin.

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If the Chancellor decides to deliver leopards to Ukraine, he wants to be ready.

Then he answers questions in fluent English, confidently, sometimes quick-witted.

Actually, another one should have been here: Christine Lambrecht.

Instead, she has a dismissal certificate from the Federal President.

What happened?

December 31

Shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve, Christine Lambrecht is hard to understand.

She is standing at the Frankfurter Tor in Berlin, the wind is blowing in her face, firecrackers are exploding behind her, colorful rockets are rising into the air.

"A war is raging in the middle of Europe," says Lambrecht.

“And that meant a lot of special impressions for me that I was able to gain.

Many, many encounters with interesting, great people.

For that I say a heartfelt thank you.” The video appears on her private Instagram account.

Later that evening, Lambrecht is seen on the roof of the Reichstag building watching the fireworks.

The video spread across the Internet at high speed, accompanied by outraged comments.

Many find it "embarrassing" and "embarrassing" that they ended the year of rocket attacks with New Year's rockets.

January 1st

The opposition rises to the criticism.

The deputy chairman of the Union faction Johann Wadephul says: "The video clearly shows again that she is the wrong person in this central office - and that in these times of war in Europe." Behind the scenes of the federal government, a lot of phone calls are made, communication people are stunned.

Even among MPs in the traffic light coalition, it is believed that Lambrecht will no longer be tenable.

She has done something that can no longer be communicated, is the assessment.

This does not get through to the outside, there is silence.

"I see no reason to evaluate that now," says deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann.

Arne Collatz, head of the press department at the Ministry of Defence, says: "The words of the minister in the video speak for themselves.

It is not for me to comment on that.” He rules out that official resources were used for the video.

So he doesn't want anything to do with the video.

Lambrecht's spokesman Christian Thiels is on vacation - and stays on vacation.

Lambrecht's party, the SPD, is also silent for the time being.

She is alone.

This is being followed closely in the opposition.

Normally, Lambrecht would have been quickly defended from the front row of the SPD faction.

Not this time.

The chancellor says nothing either.

The situation is serious.