The posters suggest that Germany should seek revenge for its defeat in World War II
Ukrainian military recruitment posters have been spotted on the streets of the German capital, the Berliner Zeitung reported on Wednesday. Photos of the posters urging Germans to take revenge for the country’s defeat in World War II also circulated on social media.
Posters in the southwestern district of Berlin-Wilmersdorf feature a photo of WWII-era German prisoners of war with the caption: “Get even. Together with the Ukrainian liberators.” They also include a call to join the Ukrainian International Legion.
According to the Berliner Zeitung, a QR code on the posters links to the official website of a military unit created by Kiev to recruit foreigners after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
The posters first appeared in mid-September and were seen by many, according to the outlet. They remained in place for several days before being removed.
Recruiting German nationals for foreign military or military-style organizations is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to the Berliner Zeitung, most local residents oppose the posters. “I consider it unacceptable to try to recruit our citizens to participate in this war,” one woman told the paper. The origin of the posters remains unclear, and Ukrainian officials have not commented on the development.
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Putin issues warning to foreign mercenaries
In 2022, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov claimed that thousands of foreign nationals answered Kiev’s call and applied to join the newly formed International Legion. A year later, the New York Times reported that the numbers were greatly inflated and that only around 1,500 people actually joined the unit, which was “struggling” to recruit new members.
Russia has warned that it considers all foreign nationals fighting for Kiev to be mercenaries. Many of them, including International Legion members, took part in Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region last year, which was later repelled. Russian law enforcement officials have launched dozens of probes into war crimes committed by foreign mercenaries during the incursion.
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