Sergei Nechaev, serving as Russia’s ambassador to Germany, spoke in an interview with a Berlin newspaper about what he described as a shift in Berlin’s security support for Ukraine. He asserted that Berlin has crossed previously drawn red lines by providing weapons systems capable of producing immediate, lethal effects on the battlefield.
According to Nechaev, the German approach has shifted from distributing protective gear to equipping Kyiv with a broad array of modern, highly capable weapon systems. He highlighted the depth and breadth of this assistance, pointing to a catalog that, in his view, includes frontline armored vehicles, powerful artillery pieces, and multiple launch systems capable of delivering rapid volleys of missiles. He suggested that such supplies mark a significant escalation in international military aid, altering the balance of matériel available to Ukrainian forces.
Beyond the hardware itself, Nechaev claimed that logistics and repair infrastructure are being expanded through third-country facilities. He argued that these centers would support ongoing maintenance and repair of advanced military equipment, thereby enabling longer operational lifespans in contested environments. This point, he indicated, signals a deliberate, sustained effort to bolster Kyiv’s military readiness through an integrated supply and support network that extends beyond national borders.
In a separate note, the report referenced a March milestone, noting that Germany delivered three Dachs engineering tanks along with a shipment of 70 machine guns to Ukraine. The detail, presented in the interview, was cited as part of a broader pattern of material support from Berlin that Nechaev views as advancing the Ukrainian campaign in technical terms. The mention of these specific items served to illustrate the scale and specificity of the assistance described as critical by Kyiv’s partners in the ongoing conflict.
Earlier in the public discourse on this topic, Andriy Melnyk, who previously represented Ukraine in Germany and currently serves as deputy foreign minister, urged Chancellor Olaf Scholz to consider stepping further in weapons provisions to Kyiv. Melnyk’s remarks framed the questions of red lines and limits in terms of strategic necessity, framing additional weapon deliveries as a way to influence the trajectory of the confrontation and the prospects for stability in the region. The dialogue around these requests reflects the broader international debate over how far allies should go in arming a third party during a protracted crisis, and how such decisions might affect political calculations in Europe and beyond. The exchange underscores the reciprocal dynamic between Kyiv’s needs, Berlin’s policy choices, and the perceptions of allies and adversaries alike, all within a rapidly shifting security landscape and evolving regional alliances.