The scandal was not without consequences.
Head of the Navy German Vice Admiral Kai-Achim Schönbach resigned, reports the Chronicle.info with reference to Babel.
His resignation was accepted by the Minister of Defense of Germany and the Inspector General of the Armed Forces. It is indicated that Schönbach's resignation is connected with his statements about Crimea, Ukraine and the head of Russia Vladimir Putin, which caused a negative reaction from Ukraine.
According to the publication, Rear Admiral Jan Christian Kaak, Deputy Commander, will take Schönbach's place German Navy.
- Earlier, Kai-Achim Schönbach said that Ukraine will never return the Russian-occupied Crimea and it cannot be accepted into NATO due to the occupation of part of its territories. He also said that Georgia's membership in NATO would be «unreasonable», and Vladimir Putin «deserves» respect.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called Schönbach's words unacceptable and demanded clarification from the German government. The German Ministry of Defense denied Schönbach's position.
- Schoenbach himself called his statements his personal opinion, and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador.