BERLIN, Jan 27 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in interview with the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, how the Russian language prevented him from becoming a driver of the Gepard anti-aircraft gun (ZSU) while serving in the Bundeswehr.
The Minister recalled that he was supposed to be drafted into the armed forces on July 1, 1978, but by then, having graduated from high school, he had already begun to study in the field of trade and therefore received a deferment. He entered the army on October 1, 1980. Thus, according to Pistorius, he was practically the only high school graduate among the recruits, because usually the call was completed by July 1.
According to the minister, at first he was told that he would get a truck driver's license, and then he would drive a Gepard ZSU.
«But then a sergeant approached me and said that the regiment commander was looking for a new driver. He saw that I was the only high school graduate and that I had an exam in Russian. The commander also spoke Russian. Here why he wanted me to become his driver,» the minister said.
The new head of the German Defense Ministry, Pistorius, took office on January 19 of this year. This happened after Christina Lambrecht filed a petition to be removed from this position at the beginning of the year, explaining her decision by the «month-long» close attention of the German media to her person, which prevented her from fulfilling her duties.
According to the German newspaper Welt, in 2018 Pistorius called for a review of EU sanctions against Russia. According to him, they damaged the country's economy and strengthened the position of Moscow. He was also a member of the German-Russian friendship group, created in cooperation with the Federation Council, studied Russian. Pistorius sharply criticized the Russian special operation in Ukraine.