Ukrainians Killed in Germany Knife Attack Were Soldiers, Says Kyiv

Two Ukrainian citizens stabbed to death in Germany on Saturday were wounded soldiers recuperating away from the front lines, Kyiv says.

A Russian citizen was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday after two men were stabbed to death at a shopping centre in southern Germany, close to a U.S. Army base. The victims, both Ukrainian citizens, are now revealed to have been convalescing Ukrainian soldiers.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said per state media that: “the deceased citizens were soldiers undergoing medical rehabilitation in Germany”.

It further alleged that: “The killer took advantage of the fact that the Ukrainian veterans were wounded and could not properly fight back the knife-wielding attacker.”

Ukraine thanked German authorities for the prompt arrest of the 57-year-old Russian citizen suspect. Reuters states the investigation into the attack has now been handed to prosecutors in Munich, who are considering a “political motivation” for the crime. Investigators apparently believe the two men were already known to the suspect.

The prosecutor said: “The motive for the crime is currently unclear, although a political motivation cannot be ruled out and is being investigated in all directions”.

The attack took place in the village of Murnau in Bavaria, only a short distance from the United States Army Garrison Bavaria’s Garmisch base. Large numbers of Ukrainian troops, including tank crews, have been trained on the U.S. Army’s estates in Germany, including at USAG Bavaria.

One of those locations, the USAG Bavaria garrison at the Grafenwoehr Training Area was the focus of a spy scare this month, with two Russian-German dual citizens arrested, accused of hostile reconnaissance and attack planning against the location.

The German Federal Prosecutor claimed the activity was intended to “undermine the military support provided by Germany to Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression” and included a potential “explosives and arson attacks, especially on military infrastructure and industrial sites in Germany”.