Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman warns Germany: Taurus missiles will directly implicate you in the Ukraine war
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that the use of Taurus missiles to strike vital Russian infrastructure would be considered direct German participation in the war in Ukraine.
Friedrich Merz, who will become German Chancellor, said he supports supplying Ukraine with German-made cruise missiles.
Zakharova said that the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz, must realize that the attack on Russian facilities with Taurus missiles constitutes German participation in the conflict on the side of Ukraine.
“It seems to me that it would be useful for the leader of the Christian Democratic Union to realize the following: since these cruise missiles cannot be launched without direct assistance from the German military, an attack on any vital facility of Russian transport infrastructure – and Merz has identified the Crimean Bridge as a target – would be considered direct German participation in military operations on the side of the Kyiv regime, with consequent consequences for Germany,” Zakharova told reporters.
Friedrich Merz’s remarks regarding the possible destruction of the Russian bridge leading to Crimea sparked sharp criticism from Moscow.
“Think twice, Nazi,” wrote Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, on X.
The former Russian president’s post came in response to remarks made by Merz in an interview with German Channel 1.
In this interview, Merz not only maintained his openness to supplying Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles, but also said that destroying the Crimean bridge could be beneficial to Ukraine.
“Friedrich Merz is haunted by the memory of his father, who served in Hitler’s army,” Medvedev said.
In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the potential German chancellor of seeking to escalate the war in Ukraine.
Merz also said in the interview that the Ukrainian military should be put in a position to determine some of the course of events on its own.
The leader of the Christian Union continued, “The Ukrainian army must come out of defensive mode,” noting that destroying the bridge, the most important link between Russia and Crimea, could help Ukraine.
He added, “It could be a way for this country to finally make progress on the strategic front”.
It’s noteworthy that Ukraine has repeatedly announced, after several attacks on the bridge, that it seeks to bomb the bridge.
Russia has repeatedly warned of such an attack, as Moscow also previously released a recording of an intercepted call between German military officers in which they specifically discussed the possibility of destroying the Crimean Bridge using cruise missiles.
In the interview, Mertz said that Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t respond positively to weakness and peace offers.
He added that he was always open to supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine when he was in the opposition, adding that this position still stands.
“Not because we want to intervene in this war ourselves, but because we want to supply the Ukrainian army with such weapons,” he said.
At the same time, Mertz confirmed in response to a question that he would only do so in coordination with European partners.
In contrast, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz categorically refuses to supply Ukraine with this type of weapon, because the Social Democratic Party politician fears that it would lead to Germany’s involvement in the war—for example, if Ukraine uses it to bomb targets deep inside Russian territory.
