German Navy Commander Resigns After Comments on Crimea and Putin

The German Minister of Defense, Christine Lambrecht, has accepted the resignation of Navy Commander Vice Admiral Kai Achim Schönbach, who earlier stated that Crimea will never return to Ukraine, reports RIA Novosti.

“I just asked the Federal Minister of Defense to relieve me of my duties as commander of the Navy immediately,” his statement reads.

The Vice Admiral deemed this step necessary to avoid “further damage” to the German Navy, the armed forces, and the country itself. “The Federal Minister has accepted my request,” the military official stated.

Earlier, while speaking in India, Schönbach said that “the Crimean Peninsula is no more,” implying that it will not return to Ukraine. He also referred to the Western accusations against Russia as nonsense, claiming they were preparing for destabilization towards Ukraine.

Additionally, the Vice Admiral noted that Germany and India need to face Russia to counter China, mentioning that President Vladimir Putin seeks “respect on equal terms” from the West and that “it is easy to give him the respect he demands and which he probably deserves.”

Later, Schönbach called those statements an “obvious mistake” and described them as “thoughtless, misjudged in this situation.”