German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has dismissed the head of the country’s army, General Eberhard Zorn, after he made controversial comments about Russian military capabilities in the context of the war in Ukraine.
In an interview with “Focus” magazine last year, Zorn stated that Ukraine conducts “counterattacks, with the help of which it can recapture frontline locations, but it cannot push Russia back on a broad front.”
The former commander of the US Army in Europe, Ben Hodges, criticized his statements, asserting that they reflected much of the thinking of the German “elite.” Lt. Gen. Carsten Breuer will be Zorn’s replacement as inspector general of the German Armed Forces.
Breuer is known for his role as chief of the COVID-19 Crisis Staff during the coronavirus pandemic. The current defense minister took over the post in mid-January this year, replacing Christine Lambrecht, who became embroiled in several controversies amid the debate over whether Berlin should send more modern battle tanks to Ukraine.
More than 50 troops who recently arrived from Kiev are currently in San Gregorio (Zaragoza), where they have been learning to operate the expected Leopard 2A4s for four weeks.