Russian Ambassador Says Germany Has Not Denied Producing Weapons for Ukraine

Lead

Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, said that no one in Germany has denied the production of weapons destined for Ukraine at facilities listed by the Russian Defense Ministry, according to a report from the Russian state news agency TASS. The statement came days after the German Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador in response to what it called "direct threats against targets in Germany."

Coverage Comparison

The story has been covered primarily by TASS, which provided two articles focusing on the responses of Russian officials. The first article, dated April 21, quotes Ambassador Nechayev as saying that German colleagues have not contested that the facilities in question are producing weapons for Ukraine. The second, dated April 22, reports Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's reaction to the German summons, in which he described it as a "confession" of guilt.

Both articles reflect the Russian government's framing of the dispute as a confrontation over Western military support for Ukraine. No independent verification of the Russian Defense Ministry's list of facilities has been provided in these reports, and the German government's position is not directly quoted beyond the announcement of the summons.

Key Claims

• According to Ambassador Nechayev, no one in Germany has denied that the facilities listed by the Russian Defense Ministry are producing weapons for Ukraine. He said this in the context of Zelenskyy's recent visit and the establishment of a strategic partnership between Germany and Ukraine, including military-technical cooperation.
• The Russian Defense Ministry published a list of facilities it says are producing weapons for Ukraine. This was reported by both TASS articles, though the list itself is not reproduced in either.
• The German Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in response to what it described as "direct threats against targets in Germany." This was reported by TASS in both articles.
• Foreign Minister Lavrov commented that the German reaction "let slip their own guilt," using the Russian proverb "God marks the crook." He said the reaction amounted to a German confession that they are doing something that will not bring them good.

Perspectives

Russian official perspective: Ambassador Nechayev argues that the German concern about the publication of the list is unfounded because the facilities are clearly military production aimed against Russia. He frames Germany's actions as part of a Western policy to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and criticizes the militarization of the economy as counterproductive. Lavrov goes further, alleging that the German reaction is a confession of guilt.

German governmental perspective: The German Foreign Ministry has not publicly denied the production of weapons for Ukraine, but it has summoned the Russian ambassador over alleged threats. The ministry's statement, as reported by TASS, characterizes the list as containing "direct threats against targets in Germany." The German government has not responded to the specific claims about the facilities.

Independent verification: No independent source has confirmed the accuracy of the Russian Defense Ministry's list. The reports from TASS are based solely on statements from Russian officials. The German government's full response is not included in the available extracts.

Temporal and Contextual Notes

The timing of the ambassador's statement and Lavrov's comments follows the German Foreign Ministry's summons, which occurred on April 21. The Russian Defense Ministry published its list of addresses of facilities producing drones for Ukraine before the summons. The claims about a strategic partnership between Germany and Ukraine refer to recent diplomatic developments, including a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was noted by Ambassador Nechayev.