The claim
Allegedly, Germany violated the 1945 armistice by supplying arms to Ukraine and is now at war with Russia.
Our conclusion
The reasons lack any logic: in 1945 there was no armistice, but rather a capitulation by Germany, there is no withdrawal from the Two Plus Four Treaty, and an alleged communication from a Russian ministry does not exist.
A Catholic-traditionalist website, which has spread a lot of conspiracy myths in the past, is currently claiming that Germany is at war with Russia, and that the “Russian Ministry ” has also informed the Federal Chancellery of this. However, the reasoning, which is also shared in relevant Telegram channels, is full of false claims and false conclusions.
–Update: September 6, 2022–
The claim is currently making the rounds again on Facebook and now also on WhatsApp, as you can see from the current screenshots!
The claim
Back in March, the site (archived HERE ) claimed that Germany would now be in the 1945 state of war with Russia. Since then, the claim has continued on social media .
1945 armistice between Russia and Germany ” by supplying arms to Ukraine As a result, Russia withdrew from the “ Two-Plus-Four Agreement ” with immediate effect, and Germany was now “ in a state of war from 1945 as of today .” “ The Russian Ministry ” informed the Federal Cabinet/Chancellor’s Office of this.
The fact check
In the paragraph above, we have put a lot of the wording in quotation marks and italics, and for good reason:
these are the points that may sound impressive, but upon closer inspection they reveal themselves to be nonsense. We address these claims below.
Was there an armistice between Russia and Germany in 1945?
No.
At the end of the First World War there was actually an armistice (see HERE ), but the Second World War ended in May 1945 with the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht (see HERE ).
Can Russia withdraw from a “two plus four agreement”?
No.
The Two-Plus-Four Treaty (see HERE , PDF file), whose official name is “Treaty of September 12, 1990 on the final settlement with regard to Germany”, contains no provisions at all regarding withdrawal from the contract. For example, the treaty regulates Germany's borders, the limitation of the armed forces, the full sovereignty of Germany and the withdrawal of Soviet armed forces.
It can already be seen in the official name that there can be no exit from the treaty: They are literally final regulations that were concluded between Germany, the former GDR (the 2 in the treaty), the USA, the USSR, Great Britain and France (the 4 in the treaty). contract) were carried out.
Did Germany violate the Two Plus Four Treaty by supplying arms?
No.
When discussing this, Article 2 of the Treaty (see HERE ), which states:
“The governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic reiterate their declarations that only peace will come from German soil. According to the constitution of the united Germany, actions that are suitable and are carried out with the intention of disrupting the peaceful coexistence of peoples, in particular in preparation for waging a war of aggression, are unconstitutional and punishable. “The Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic declare that the united Germany will never use any of its weapons except in accordance with its Constitution and the Charter of the United Nations.”
The second sentence emphasizes the preparation for waging a war of aggression. However, this is neither taking place on German soil nor was it initiated by Germany: it is a war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine.
But what about the use of German weapons? The last sentence refers to the Charter of the United Nations (see HERE ). Article 51 refers to an “ individual and collective right to self-defense ”: This is exactly what is happening because Russia broke international law, violated the prohibition of force in the UN Charter and the arms deliveries from Germany and other countries serve self-defense.
In addition, these weapons are not even used by Germany, so there is no active intervention in the war. Germany only supports Ukraine's right to self-defense.
Where is the message from the “Russian Ministry”?
However, there is no “Russian ministry” as such, but let us assume that such a statement comes from the diplomatic area due to the nature of the matter, then it cannot be a “communication” but becomes a note, verbal note, round note , Memorandum or Aide-Mémoire (see HERE , PDF file).
However, there is nothing about such a note on any official website of the Russian authorities or Germany. Even if the German government were to keep something like this quiet, it would at least have to be found on the Russian side, after all, this would not be insignificant for the further course of the current conflict.
But nothing. There isn't even a fake letter. It is simply claimed and believed without any evidence.
Conclusion
The claim that Germany broke a 1945 peace agreement, that Russia therefore withdrew from the Two Plus Four Treaty and that Germany was therefore at war with Russia, lacks any logic and only shows a blatant misunderstanding of German history and a lack of understanding of historical agreements and treaties.
Other sources: AFP , Correctiv
Also interesting:
A video reporting that Poland is preparing troops to support Ukraine is a propaganda fake and does not come from the BBC.
No, BBC did not report that Poland was sending troops to Ukraine
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )