Sara Nanni, the Green Party’s parliamentary spokesperson on defense policy, has strongly condemned the German government’s approach to Russia, labeling its current policy as “pure weakness.” Speaking to the news channel “Welt,” she described the conduct of the Merz government toward Moscow as a form of “wimping,” which she predicts will lead to deep regret.
Nanni also specifically called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) to mandate the closure of the Russian House in Berlin, citing suspicions of espionage. While acknowledging the Chancellor would need to foresee the political consequences, she insisted these ramifications must be addressed immediately. She argued that the current outward message of the Federal Republic is simply “pure weakness.”
She noted that even during the current coalition government, the Greens had pushed for the Russian House’s closure against then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) but had failed. Nanni suggests that both the Union today and the SPD back then remain concerned that appearing too aggressive toward Russia could further damage diplomatic relations. In her view, the weakness displayed by Germany is the far greater problem, stating that the country is allowing Russia to treat it with disdain. She warned that Vladimir Putin will continue with provocations and aggression, referencing alleged events in Leipzig the previous week, and that concrete measures must be taken-such as closing the Russian House-if things are to change.
Nanni considers the espionage activities emanating from the Russian House to be obvious. She recounts instances where, while near the property with a mobile phone, her GPS suddenly registered the exact center of the building. She noted this phenomenon also sometimes occurs near the Russian embassy, where she believes a technical system uses a powerful cellular mast to intercept mobile data. She claims such events are verifiable by anyone using their own phone and that this suspicious activity had occurred at the Russian House before she was ever aware of it.
Beyond the hesitation regarding the Russian House, Nanni points to other areas of government inaction that signal weakness. Specifically, she questioned why Interior Minister Dobrindt has failed to address the Russian shadow fleet. “The faucet that funds this aggressive war against Ukraine and that threatens our own German Republic must be shut off,” she stated. “Why is nothing being done? I believe we are dealing with a kind of pandering that we will bitterly regret.”
