BACKGROUND AND ALLEGATIONS
A claim on social media caused controversy. It was claimed that the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) wanted to recruit German citizens of Turkish origin to fight against Russia for 40 thousand euros per year.
FINDINGS
The claim, which also appeared in the German press, was rejected by the German authorities. Upon the request of the German Press Agency (DPA), the Bundeswehr Federal Personnel Management made a statement on the subject and stated that there was no such plan.
DPA Factchecking, the news verification unit of the German Press Agency, has also taken up the issue and examined the background of the matter. In its report, DPA reminded that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in February 2024 that German troops would not be sent to Ukraine.
As reported by AA, Scholz stated that Western countries would not send troops to Ukraine and rejected the latest proposal of French President Emmanuel Macron.
DPA reported that the Bundeswehr is recruiting personnel, and since there is a shortage of young talent, they are trying to reach people with a migration background. Therefore, it was stated that advertising posters with bilingual content were published in Cologne Kalk as a local test run.
FINDING SET
DPA Factchecking asked the Bundeswehr about the allegations. The Bundeswehr said the allegations were not true.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in February 2024 that the Bundeswehr would not send its troops to Ukraine.
TRUE? WRONG?
The claim that "Germany wants to recruit German-Turkish citizens to fight against Russia" is not true.
