Extremists from Germany in war zone to fight for Russia - report

Dozens of extremists from Germany have travelled to the war zone since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Interior Ministry said in response to a question from the newspaper Die Welt.

The report in the Sunday edition of the newspaper seen in advance by dpa quotes the ministry as saying that the security authorities have registered the departure of 61 people "who have a connection to extremism or politically motivated crime."

In the case of 39 people, there were actual indications that they had left the country "with the intention of participating in hostilities." Of these, 27 were pro-Russian and 12 pro-Ukrainian.

In the case of the clear majority of this group, the authorities had concrete information that they had taken part in hostilities. They include both right-wing and left-wing extremists. However, the authorities classify most as belonging to the phenomenon "foreign ideology."

A breakdown of specific groups is not possible due to a lack of data, according to the ministry.

In principle, participation in combat operations in Ukraine is not punishable, a spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry told the newspaper.

This applies "as long as they are not acting as mercenaries, but as members of the regular armed forces or equivalent volunteer corps and militias." However, this does not protect them from investigations into possible war crimes.

According to the report, the federal prosecutor general did not want to comment on whether corresponding proceedings were being conducted against combatants who had left the country.

The foreign policy expert of the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), Roderich Kiesewetter, criticized the restraint of the prosecutors.

"Individuals or extremists who voluntarily join the Russian armed forces or terrorist groups in order to participate in the invasion of Ukraine must be prosecuted after returning to Germany," he told the newspaper.

For it must be assumed that these fighters "systematically participated in war crimes and human rights violations."