Europe’s relationship with Russia is complex, defined by suspicion, tough talk and, to a lesser extent, trade dependency. At present Europe is unlikely to be railroaded into any conflict with the latter.
IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, LITHUANIAN authorities and the German army opened investigations into accusations of rape made against German soldiers stationed in the country. While the investigation was on, the media in Germany were quick to call it fake news and point the finger of suspicion at Russia as its originator.
The political magazine Der Spiegel put the accusations— which German army sources told the paper amounted to “deliberate disinformation”—in the context of the recent strengthening of German and other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops in Lithuania as part of NATO’s efforts to enhance its “forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance”, namely Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The magazine also pointed to the now-infamous “Lisa” case from 2016, involving allegations that a Russian girl had been raped in Berlin by immigrants, which Russian authorities insisted Germany was doing nothing about, but which turned out to be false.
These cases have tapped into German concerns over “fake news”—and the attempts to tarnish Chancellor Angela Merkel’s stance on immigration, particularly since national elections are due to take place in September. German authorities are so concerned about “fake news” that earlier this month they embarked on legislation that will enable fines to be imposed on social networks that do not provide options to report fake news or illegal content.
The tensions between Germany and Russia over these recent cases highlight the complexity of Europe’s current relationship with Russia, with foreign policy differences on issues ranging from Ukraine to Syria to Turkey, spilling onto the domestic political and electoral arena, making the situation ever more personal than before. These are concerns voiced not just by Germany.
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