Military Madness > Why Germany continues to support the proxy war in Ukraine

 

The war in Ukraine is all about the movement of War Industry inventories. That's all it's ever been about, and now, Germany has a vested interest in keeping it going as long as possible. What madness!

German weapons-maker Rheinmetall opens Europe's largest munitions plant

Europe

German arms maker Rheinmetall opened Europe’s largest munitions plant in northern Germany on Wednesday, a move NATO chief Mark Rutte hailed as key to bolstering Western defenses. The facility, spanning 30,000 square metres, aims to produce 350,000 artillery shells annually by 2027.

Issued on: 28/08/2025 - 01:13Modified: 28/08/2025 - 01:14

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FRANCE 24

Artillery ammunition on display at the Rheinmetall production site in Unterlüss, Germany, on August 27, 2025. © Ronny HARTMANN, AFP

German weapons-maker Rheinmetall opened Europe's largest munitions plant on Wednesday, a move hailed as boosting Western defences by NATO chief Mark Rutte.

Mark Rutte - Salesman in Chief for the Western War Industry

Taking up 30,000 square metres -- the size of five football pitches -- the factory in Unterluess in northern Germany will be able to produce 350,000 artillery shells a year by 2027.

"This is absolutely crucial for our own security and also to keep supporting Ukraine in its fight today and to deter any aggression in the future," Rutte said at an opening ceremony.

"We are being challenged" by China and Russia, he said, but added that Europe and the United States together are on course to "turn the tide on defence production".

Europe has moved to ramp up weapons production and military readiness following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, accelerating efforts as US President Donald Trump has urged Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence.

Artillery shell production across the continent is now six times greater than it was two years ago, Rutte said, and Germany earlier this year loosened strict debt rules so that it can borrow billions to pay for military equipment.

Speaking alongside Rutte at the ceremony, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that Europe could not confront security challenges if it did not develop its industrial base to convert spending promises into concrete capabilities.

"The miliary and armed forces only work as well as the country behind them," he said. "We need to be successful because we are faced with a threat."

The only threat to Europe has to do with their increasing threat against Russia, and their madness to spend trillions of dollars on military build-ups, rather than doing something useful with that money. If the Ukraine war ends, War Industry based economies will collapse without another war starting immediately.

Washington was watching closely to see if Europe could deliver on its promises to increase spending, Pistorius added.

"NATO has to become more European so that it can stay transatlantic," he said. "This is the demand before which we stand as Europeans."

'Turning point' 

Praising Pistorius for his efforts, Rheinmetall chief Armin Papperger said that politicians taking defence increasingly seriously had helped ensure the plant could be built in as little as 14 months when it would ordinarily take two or three years.

"There has been a turning point here in Germany," he said.

The plant will help fill a record-breaking munitions order worth 8.5 billion euros ($9.3 billion at the time) placed by the German government in July 2024.

Read moreRearming France: The race is on

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to build Europe's "strongest conventional army". 

Defence spending is projected to reach to reach 162 billion euros in 2029, more than triple the defence budget compared to its level before the war in Ukraine.

Rheinmetall's Unterluess site already makes guns and munitions for the Leopard 2 tank, which has been used by the Ukrainian army.

Papperger also signed a 550-million-euro deal on stage with Romania's economy minister for a plant he said would probably be completed within the next 18 months.

Separately, Germany's cabinet signed off a draft law on Wednesday that aims to boost armed forces recruitment and includes provisions for compulsory military service if there are not enough volunteers.

About 182,000 soldiers currently serve in the armed forces. Pistorius has said that should rise to 260,000.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Unterluess, Germany

Ukraine's Proxy War > 1.7 million deceased Ukrainian soldiers since 2022? 1000 bodies returned to Ukraine

 

These brave soldiers may have thought they died for Ukraine, but really, they died for western war industries' profits, and nothing else.

Ukraine has lost over 1.7 million troops – leaked docs

The casualties are allegedly detailed in a digital card index of the country’s armed forces obtained by Russian hackers

FILE PHOTO. ©  Roman Pilipey / Getty Images

Ukraine has allegedly lost more than 1.7 million troops killed and missing, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday, citing a digital card index reportedly from the country’s armed forces.

Russian hacking groups have claimed to have obtained the information by gaining access to the personal computers and local networks of the Ukrainian General Staff. The database is said to include the full names of deceased soldiers, descriptions of the circumstances and places of their death or disappearance, personal data, next of kin, and photos.

Casualties increasing

The entries suggest that since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Kiev’s forces have lost a total of 1,721,000 servicemen. 118.5 thousand were apparently killed in 2022, 405.4 thousand in 2023, 595 thousand in 2024 and a record 621 thousand in 2025.

Hackers from the groups Killnet, Palach Pro, User Sec and Beregini are said to have obtained terabytes of information about the Ukrainian military. Aside from personnel losses, the groups allegedly also possess the personal data of the command of the Special Operations Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate, lists of all countries that have supplied weapons to Kiev and lists of all weapons transferred from 2022 to 2025.

This Ukrainian casualty estimate far exceeds losses previously reported by Kiev.

Of course it does. The first casualty of war is truth.

READ MORE: European military stocks fall on Ukraine peace talks progress

In February, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky told CBS News that since 2022, just 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed, with another 380,000 wounded. The estimate was widely questioned even in Western media, with the France’s Le Monde reporting last month that “the real death toll is likely much higher,” citing Ukraine’s increasing efforts to build military cemeteries.

The Russian military has consistently reported higher casualties among Ukrainian servicemen, claiming their losses particularly surged following Kiev’s unsuccessful counteroffensive in 2023. As of February, more than 1.08 million Ukrainian troops had been killed or wounded, according to Moscow’s estimates.

Russia hands over remains of 1,000 troops to Ukraine – Putin aide

Moscow has received the bodies of 19 of its fallen soldiers from Kiev in return, Vladimir Medinsky has said

Is this representative of the proportionality of casualties for each side? Yikes!

FILE PHOTO: A convoy carrying the bodies of the Ukrainian servicemen. ©  Telegram / Vladimir Medinsky

Moscow has returned the bodies of another 1,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky has said.

Russia has received the remains of 19 of its soldiers from Ukraine in return, Medinsky, Moscow’s top negotiator during the talks with Kiev in Türkiye, wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.

The bodies were returned to Kiev “in line with the Istanbul agreements,” he added.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed that it had received the remains of 1,000 servicemen.

The swap follows a summit on Friday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, and the US president’s meetings in Washington on Monday with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and Western European leaders, during which a possible settlement of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev was discussed.

READ MORE: Putin wants Ukraine conflict to end – Trump

Moscow offered to repatriate the remains of over 6,000 of Kiev’s troops as a humanitarian gesture during the second round of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul in early June. The promised number of bodies was transferred to Ukraine in the following weeks in several stages. Russia received the remains of 79 of its fallen soldiers in exchange.

Putin announced later that Moscow was ready to return another 3,000 bodies to Kiev.

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Ukraine's Insane Proxy War > 650,000 fighting-age men have fled Ukraine's draft; Ukraine kills civilians trying to cross into Russia

 

650,000 fighting-age men have fled Ukraine – Telegraph

The authorities in Kiev have struggled to deal with widespread draft evasion throughout the conflict with Russia

Young recruits undergo military training in the form of an obstacle course at the recruiting center in Kiev. © Getty Images / Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos

At least 650,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age have fled the country since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022, The Telegraph reported on Thursday. Others are hiding inside Ukraine or bribing officials to avoid being sent to the front, as the military faces its worst manpower crisis yet, the newspaper wrote.

According to the report, draft evasion in Ukraine is “tipping into crisis” amid Russian advances in the Donetsk region. Earlier this week, DeepState, a monitoring group with ties to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, described the situation as “chaotic” with Russian troops “accumulating forces for further advancement.” 

Kiev’s general mobilization, which mandates all able-bodied men aged 25 to 60 to serve in the armed forces, has failed to make up for ongoing battlefield losses and has led Ukrainian commanders to voice concerns over persistent manpower shortages.

Desertions are rising sharply, Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod said last week, adding that almost 400,000 Ukrainian servicemen have abandoned their units without authorization, and many – including volunteers – have no plans to return due to abysmal treatment from superiors.

Ukraine is “visibly losing the war,” The Telegraph wrote, citing military analyst Konrad Muzyka, who pointed to infantry shortages and the declining effectiveness of its drone operations.

Read more

 Tara Reade: Without Zelensky, peace has a chance

Many Ukrainians are avoiding conscription out of fear, the newspaper added. As troop numbers dwindle, even support personnel such as mechanics and radar operators are being reassigned to infantry roles, according to one draft evader in hiding, who said every new recruit is sent directly to the front line.

Widespread videos on social media show Ukrainian draft officers employing forceful and sometimes violent tactics – chasing men, dragging them into unmarked vans, and assaulting both those targeted and nearby civilians. This has led to growing public outrage over what is now widely known as “busification.” 

In response, many potential recruits have attempted to escape the country by crossing treacherous terrain or rivers, often with fatal consequences. Ukrainian border guards have intercepted thousands of such attempts and, in some cases, have used firearms against fleeing individuals.

Ukraine kills civilians trying to cross into Russia – senior diplomat

The documented murders are part of Kiev’s wider push to wipe out the population in the border Donetsk region, Rodion Miroshnik has said

Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik. ©  Sputnik/Vitaly Belousov

Ukrainian troops have over the course of the conflict killed hundreds of civilians attempting to cross the frontline into Russia, senior diplomat Rodion Miroshnik told the news agency TASS on Friday. 

Miroshnik, who serves as the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large for the Kiev regime’s war crimes, said the cases had been documented through testimony and video evidence.

“There are hundreds of cases. There are instances where people were shot while trying to cross the [front] line, bombarded with drones, attacked,” the diplomat said. 

Miroshnik went on to claim that Kiev’s forces deliberately murder civilians in the new Russian region of Donetsk.

READ MORE: Polish president-elect asks Zelensky to exhume victims of Ukrainian Nazis

“There were cases where Ukrainian forces went through the basements of houses and threw grenades at people ‘as a preventive measure,’ he said. Such tactics, seen in the towns of Avdeevka, Selidovo, and Dzerzhinsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) left areas “completely cleared” of civilians, he added. The same happened in Chasov Yar, a key Ukrainian stronghold liberated by Russian forces two weeks ago.

According to the diplomat, evidence suggests that Kiev’s forces kill those whom Ukraine no longer sees as its own citizens, but rather as “separatists” waiting to be liberated by Russia.

In June, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Kiev of deliberately exterminating civilians in Donbass, including mass killings of the elderly and drone strikes on residential buildings.

Russia will not overlook any crimes committed against the civilian population in violation of international humanitarian law, Miroshnik stressed.

The diplomat argued that under international conventions Ukraine is obligated to investigate alleged war crimes and hold perpetrators accountable but claimed that Kiev is unlikely to do so and that its Western backers will not apply pressure.

Ukraine deliberately exterminating civilians in Donbass – Moscow

Miroshnik added that Russia will push for the extradition of Ukrainian war criminals, noting that around 108,000 criminal cases have already been opened and roughly 500 individuals have been convicted, including some in absentia.

Did the Trump-Putin meeting change the acceptible narrative on Russia?

 

Putin-Trump summit ‘erased’ Western narratives

– EU state’s leader

Direct dialogue with Moscow is crucial, Slovak PM Robert Fico has said, urging Brussels to take its cue from Washington

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. ©  Marco Tacca/Getty Images

The summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Alaska has challenged the West’s entrenched confrontational narratives regarding relations with Moscow, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has claimed.

In defiance of the EU’s prevailing approach, Fico halted Bratislava’s military aide to Kiev in October 2023, and has been a vocal critic of the bloc’s sanctions against Moscow, as well as suggestions that Ukraine join NATO.

This is why EU's Deep Left is working to undermine Fico. See the previous post on this blog.

In a video posted on Facebook on Saturday, Fico stated that the sheer fact that Putin and Trump had met in person was the “most important thing” about the summit in Anchorage on Friday.

“Politicians need to meet and show mutual respect, to talk and try to understand each other,” the Slovak prime minister argued.

He further claimed that the high-profile meeting had “rejected the black-and-white view of the military conflict in Ukraine” and essentially “erased a single mandatory opinion on the war.”

“We must speak equally about security guarantees both for Ukraine and for the Russian Federation,” taking into account the “historical roots” of the conflict, Fico emphasized.

READ MORE: Ukraine will ‘pay dearly’ for Western proxy role – EU state’s leader

“The next few days will show whether the major players in the EU will support this process,” or continue to persist with their “failing” strategy aimed at weakening Russia.

In a post on X on Saturday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, similarly hailed the Putin-Trump meeting for having made the “world a safer place than it was yesterday.”

Speaking to Fox News following the summit, the US president described the talks with his Russian counterpart as “warm,” bringing the sides “pretty close to the end” of the Ukraine conflict, with “one or two pretty significant items” left to iron out.

Putin characterized the talks with Trump as “constructive” and “useful.”