03/04/2014
Federal Security Council must stop construction Rheinmetall AG from building an army training center in Russia
Ukraine crisis: Germany should follow the example of the US and terminate all military cooperation with Russia
"Given the fact that Russia is putting military pressure on Ukraine, Germany must terminate all military cooperation with Russia immediately," said Tilman Zülch, Secretary General of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP). The German company Rheinmetall AG is planning to finish building an army training center with state-of-the-art simulation technology for the anti-guerrilla struggle in Russia this year. "The Federal Security Council and Chancellor Angela Merkel must stop the construction work for the army training center immediately and send a clear signal to Russia. The fact that Russian troops have breached international law must have consequences for the military cooperation between the two countries," said Zülch.
On June 17, 2011, the Rheinmetall AG signed a contract to build up a modern army training center in Mulino – located in the Volga Military District – to be completed in 2014. The arms company is cooperating with the Russian company JSCo Oboronservis. Up to 30,000 Russian soldiers are supposed to be trained there every year, using advanced simulation technology. The Russian soldiers will be trained for ground combat with laser duel simulators and will learn to use highly modern communication technology. More training centers are planned for three other regions.
When a STP's representative criticized the project during a meeting of Rheinmetall AG on May 14, 2013, the board of directors of the Rheinmetall AG denied responsibility and referred to the German Federal Government, claiming that the construction of the training center was a political decision of the German Federal Government in order to support Russia in the global anti-terror fight.
The STP has been watching the increasing German-Russian military co-operations for years and with great concern. The Russian side is interested in the reform of the Bundeswehr since 2010 and its know-how, in training opportunities and collaborative projects.
