Alexander F., a German, is claimed to have fought for the Russian side in Ukraine. The German judiciary is now looking into him. It is the first example of its type since the start of Russia's attack.
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| Ukraine War Soldiers |
He became aware that he needed to fight right away. That's what Alexander F. told ZDF in an interview. The German, who was born in Ukraine and later lived in Frankfurt am Main, ultimately went to war in 2015. That occurred in 2014, following Russia's unlawful annexation of Crimea and the commencement of conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Alexander F. is claimed to have joined local pro-Russian fighting forces at the time and participated in multiple engagements. He did not respond when asked which military forces he was a member of. F. is also alleged to have fought on the Russian side when Russia launched its all-out invasion against Ukraine last year. He is claimed to have taken part in the struggle for Mariupol, among other things. There are photos of him wearing battle gear. The German was imprisoned by the Ukrainians until October 2022, and recordings of him circulated on the Internet.
Alexander F. was jailed for many weeks, during which time he spoke to German journalists and was visited by German diplomats. The 41-year-old German, however, has since been released as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.
He is believed to have been taken to Moscow in January of this year, together with Russian military and fighters, and to have featured on local television. He was spotted with other uniformed warriors in front of a Russian military jet. According to WDR and NDR investigation, German law enforcement officials are currently investigating his case. Last year, the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt am Main opened preliminary procedures against Alexander F.
In February, the files were finally submitted to the Attorney General in Karlsruhe, who has since taken over the case but does not want to comment on it.
Alexander F., with whom NDR and WDR engaged through chat, refused to comment on the investigations. In a prior conversation, he expressed a desire to return to Donbass. An AfD-affiliated organization and an AfD member of the Bundestag had previously lobbied for the Russian human rights commissioner to have Alexander F. sent to Moscow via prisoner exchange at his request, citing his fear of criminal prosecution in Germany.
F. is now being investigated by the Attorney General on suspicion of planning a major act of violence against the state (Section 89a of the Criminal Code). This paragraph, also known as the "terror camp paragraph" by investigators, was created in Germany following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States in order to prosecute terrorist preparatory actions such as training with weapons and explosives in terrorist training camps or preparing to build a bomb. So far, Islamist terrorists plotting attacks in Germany have been convicted under Criminal Code Section 89a.
Prosecutors face a legal challenge from fighters who have joined pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine in recent years. Germany does not consider the fighting units and separatist organisations operating in the Donbass on behalf of Russia to be terrorist organizations.
This implies that the Attorney General has had to get permission to prosecute from the Federal Ministry of Justice for each individual case. The German judiciary may always pursue investigations into suspected war crimes, but each case would have to be established separately.
Because of his suspected role in the war for Mariupol, which Russian troops captured in May 2022, the German judiciary may investigate this in the case of Alexander F.The case of Alexander F. appears to be the first in which the Attorney General is examining a combatant since the commencement of the Russian war of aggression in February 2022.
However, there were a few such occurrences during the war in eastern Ukraine following Crimea's unlawful annexation in 2014. Fighters who fought on the Russian side in Ukraine have been jailed twice in recent years.
For example, in February 2019, the Munich I Regional Court sentenced German-Russian Sergej K. to two years and three months in jail for joining a Russian militia in St. Petersburg in August 2014 and then fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The district court in Dortmund sentenced a German born in Kyrgyzstan to two years probation in July 2019. During the trial, he admitted to joining the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" militia from 2014 to 2016, but the public prosecutor's office was unable to substantiate the accused's particular participation in combat activities.
Source: DPA/Tagesschau