The chief of German navy has resigned after suggesting that Crimea would „never come back“ to Ukraine, a statement that is in direct contradiction to the stance taken by the German government, the European Union and NATO.
Vice-Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach said he asked the German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to relieve him of his duties „effective immediately.“ His resignation on Saturday came at the time of extreme tension between Russia and the West over recent buildup of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Schönbach got into hot water over several remarks that included a suggestion that Russian President Vladimir Putin „probably“ deserved respect. A video of his talk at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, a think tank, was posted on YouTube on Friday. In it, the Vice-Admiral is heard as saying: „Is Russia really interested in… a small, tiny strip of Ukraine’s soil? No, this is nonsense.
