German Mercenaries: Fighting for Putin's War in Ukraine

German citizens volunteer for Putin's war in Ukraine, posing a potential security threat to Germany upon their return.

### German Citizens Fighting for Putin: Recruitment, Motivations, and Potential Threats
* 🇩🇪 German citizens like Nikolaj B. and Alexander F. are fighting for Putin's forces in Ukraine, with an estimated **30 mercenaries from Germany** involved.
* 💰 The recruiter Mikhail Polynkov, connected to these fighters, targets individuals with ties to Russia or Ukraine, **exploiting their sense of patriotism and nationalist sentiments**.
* 🤔 Many of the German fighters believe they are combating "**Nazis**" in Ukraine, influenced by Kremlin propaganda about defending **Novorossiya**.
* 🏥 Returnees like Nikolaj B., who was treated in a German hospital for war injuries, pose a **potential security threat in Germany** due to their **combat experience and potential trauma**.
* 🛂 The fighters, often holding multiple passports, can freely travel between conflict zones and Germany, raising concerns about **monitoring and control by German authorities**.
* 🔍 German security authorities have limited information on these mercenaries, with only **two officially known cases reported**.
* The legal situation regarding prosecuting these fighters in Germany is vague, but they could pose a threat upon their return, as highlighted by **Roderich Kiesewetter**.
* 📺 The case of these German fighters highlights the **complexities of foreign recruitment for conflicts**, potential **security risks**, and the **challenges faced by authorities** in monitoring and addressing these issues.

Killing for Putin. German citizens - volunteering in the war. I met some people from Germany. A lot of them. They came here to join the 'Pyatnashka' battalion! They asked me where I wanted to serve, and I said Sloviansk. Several hundred Germans are said to be fighting on the Russian side. What drives them? How are they recruited, and what danger do they pose to Germany? Nikolaj B., 30 years old, code name Stierlitz. He left Germany to go to war for Putin. I am militarily convinced that our people are in the right. I didn't just go there. I decided. On TV, they lie all the time, saying that only propagandists are here. Nikolaj B., also known as Stierlitz, has received medals for his combat missions. A Russian war hero from Germany? In 2002, eight-year-old Nikolaj B., a Russian-German late resettler, comes with his mother from Kazakhstan. In 2012, he drops out of school, tries to finish his education shortly after. But he drops out again. Nikolaj B. marries psychology student Eugenia. She moves to Essen with him. Instead of working, he lives on state benefits. It was more profitable for him to live on social welfare in Germany than to work part-time somewhere.

He is very calculating in this regard. As far as I know, he wanted to be a Russian officer all his life. For some reason, that's how it was, and he didn't see anything else. He was only interested in history, politics, and war. That's it. For his missions in the Donbass, Nikolaj B. chooses the combat name: Stierlitz. In Russian television, Stierlitz is a series hero whom Nikolaj B. admires. In the TV series from the Cold War, the Soviet James Bond Stierlitz investigates undercover against the Nazis. Nikolaj B. also wants to be a Russian hero. Under his combat name Stierlitz, he posts his experiences from the front on social media. He poses on battlefields and at checkpoints. Nikolaj B. leaves Germany in 2014. He joins pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Putin attacks Ukraine, still covertly without official Russian military. Moscow loyalist militias march towards the city of Sloviansk. Among them at the forefront: the then 20-year-old Nikolai B. He fights in a notorious unit of the so-called separatists in eastern Ukraine. The unit is led by Igor Girkin, a Russian ultranationalist. The former intelligence officer boasts in a Russian newspaper.

In 2014, it is said to have triggered the Donbass War. July 2014. The passenger plane MH17 of Malaysia Airlines is shot down. All 298 occupants die. The first ones at the crash site: Igor Girkin's unit. The men rummage through the remains. Apparently, Nikolaj B. is also on site. On his social media account, he posts photos of the diary of the deceased 18-year-old Mohammed from Malaysia. Commander Igor Girkin is sentenced in absentia by the International Criminal Court in The Hague to life imprisonment for this crime in 2022. And Nikolaj B.? What do the German authorities know about his involvement in Girkin's unit? We meet former military intelligence officer Joseph Jones, who now works as a security consultant. With his help, we find 27 more mercenaries from Germany who fight for Putin. The trail leads from Nikolaj B. through Igor Girkin to another man with an important task. He is supposed to recruit fighters from abroad: Mikhail Polynkov. Jones uses various software to find connections between people on the internet. This way, he can also restore deleted connections. We find the contact between Mikhail Polynkov and Nikolaj B., also known as Stierlitz. On his internet profile, Nikolaj B. posts photos together with Mikhail Polynkov. Polynkov spreads on the internet the idea of Novorossiya, New Russia, dictated by Putin.

The term refers to a Greater Russian Empire with territories in southeastern Ukraine. Polynkov uses websites like VK, a kind of Russian Facebook, or the messaging service Telegram. We find numerous connections to individuals in Germany and Western Europe. We try to contact Polynkov. He declines a conversation. 2024, May 9th. Victory Day of the Red Army. Even in the third year of the war, Russian soldiers, veterans, and friends of Russia gather in the German capital. Former GDR celebrities like Egon Krenz are also present. Then we see a man who is hardly known to the public: a man with connections to the Russian secret service. He is a board member of DESANT e.V., an association for veterans of Russian and NVA special forces. Special forces. Desant e.V. organizes a paramilitary exercise in Thuringia in 2017. Eremenko is well connected. In 2022, he gives a speech in St. Petersburg to the Wagner mercenaries. And: Eremenko also knows the recruiter Polynkov. We approach him at the memorial event in Berlin, wanting to know what his role as a member of Desant e.V. is. I don't want to give an interview. And what connects you to Mikhail Polynkov? I will not give an interview. This is not the place to give an interview. We are here for solemn events. Period.

We continue researching. In the network of the recruiter Polynkov, we find another German: Viktor K., 37 years old, from Hamburg, nickname Maestro. Viktor K. came to Hamburg with his parents from Ukraine when he was 14 years old. After finishing school, he worked in the security industry. He also reads about Novorossiya in social media. In 2017, he follows this propaganda and leaves Germany towards Donbass. Viktor K. joins the Pyatnashka Brigade, where mainly foreign mercenaries fight. For months, we try to contact Viktor K. in Donbass. Then he suddenly calls on the phone. We want to know why he fights for Russia. I can't imagine doing something else now, like a normal job, for example, at some steel plant or coal mine. Why not? At least it's safe there. I have, I have, I have already tried several things, but somehow, it doesn't suit me. We want to know if there are more Germans in the Pyatnashka Brigade. A lot. Because, there are also many patriots. For example, here I met two people who came from Germany, not the German-speaking ones, but real Germans - by the end of 2020, I met them. Spontaneously, I was shopping in Donetsk.

I heard the German language, turned around, and contacted the people. They came here to join the Pyatnashka battalion! The Pyatnashka Brigade repeatedly fights on the front lines. Viktor K. also experienced brutal close combat. For example, I saw one, we were sitting together at a post, and in 2022, I saw it was 20 meters away from me. I could see a rocket launcher next to him... it exploded, and I saw him fall... without a head. From Germany right into a brutal war: Young men, some of them lured by internet profiles like these: Young women dream of Novorossiya and show a particular interest in German fighters. Young women as bait. Some controlled by Mikhail Polynkov. He is said to repeatedly use female profiles - real and fake - to reach foreign fighters like Viktor K. and Nikolaj B. here again under his fighting name Stierlitz. As his posts show, Nikolaj B. traveled between the combat zone Donbass and Germany several times between 2014 and 2015. Then he suddenly appears in Syria. We have been living together since the summer of 2015. In the fall, he went to Syria. But he told me about a trip to Belarus.

He persuaded everyone to lie to me. I couldn't imagine what he wanted to do in Belarus at all. 2015. The Turkish army accidentally shoots down a Russian warplane over Syria. The Russians send a team to the crash site, including the Donbass fighter Nikolaj B. Later, he presents the recovered black box to a news agency close to the Kremlin for Germany. December 7, 2015. In my hand is the black box from the Russian plane shot down by the Turks. This black box will be decoded, and we will find out how tragically the events unfolded. The black box lands on Putin's desk shortly after. Only now - in 2015 - do the German authorities take notice of Nikolaj B. They initiate an investigation and search his apartment. We are leaked the police file. In it: photos of Nikolaj B. He told the authorities that he had worked as a journalist. His connections to the Russian military - not further discussed. The file simply states, Quote: In Putin's network of German mercenaries, another man stands out: Alexander F., 40 years old, from Frankfurt am Main. Codenamed Dnjepr. The German fighter with a martial appearance in Russian propaganda channels. Shortly after, he is wounded and captured by Ukrainian forces.

Northern Ukraine.
A prisoner-of-war camp for Russian soldiers. Here, Alexander F. likely becomes the first German to arrive in the fall of 2022. We were able to speak with him by phone at that time. The only condition set by the Ukrainian military: No questions about locations and units. We want to know from Alexander F. why he went to war. I didn't think it was right that they started the war. And I wanted, I somehow wanted to help. Yes, I think it was like, I was already prepared, that I had to fight. In 2015, Alexander F. joins the combat unit of the Donetsk People's Republic, fighting in many battles on the front line. In 2018, a report from a local TV station in Donetsk. These images show Alexander F. in a hospital in Donetsk. The report is about the German who supposedly wanted to liberate Ukraine from the fascists. I thought everything through in Germany. In 2015, on September 1st, I went to Donbass. I went to war. Do you regret it? No. When I am restored, I will go back. Alexander F. remains in action, becoming a non-commissioned officer. When the so-called special operation of 2022 begins, he is on the Russian side as Putin's troops completely destroy the city of Mariupol. Thousands of civilians die during the siege.

I never knew I would experience or see something like this. It's not a movie. It's much, much worse. He is not the only fighter from Germany. I met a few people from Germany. I don't remember their names. So, we never got to know each other by name because we had nicknames, something like that. I talked with them, chatted, and by the way, they have returned to Germany. And what was their motivation? They wanted to fight against fascism. Fighting against fascism. Many of the captured men believe the Kremlin's stories: they went to war because they are convinced they are fighting against Nazis in Ukraine. And Alexander F.? I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to see what I saw in Mariupol, that... that hell, that horror, I don't want to see that anymore. And I don't want to be in prison again. In the spring of 2023, Alexander F. is sent back to Donetsk as part of a prisoner exchange. I want to tell my mother, hello, I am alive and well. I can't say more. After that, he disappears. Many prisoners believe the two main narratives of the Kremlin: fighting against Nazis and defending Novorossiya. If this propaganda takes hold, it can also become dangerous abroad.

Putin's German mercenaries, according to the Federal Police, are said to be about 30. The unreported figure is likely higher. When they return to Germany after combat missions, it could have dangerous consequences. Just like with Nikolaj B.? The fear that these returnees could become a threat to Germany is shared by Roderich Kiesewetter - for him, it is clear: When these fighters, in quotation marks, return from their illegal use of force, they are usually traumatized or criminalized, or both. And this can or will become a major domestic and security policy problem. Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt. This is where Nikolaj B. moves to in 2021 after his numerous missions in Donbass. In one of these residential blocks, he rents an apartment. Apparently, the costs are once again covered by the German welfare state. Nikolaj B. seems to have no personal connections to Stendal. However, there is a Bundeswehr training area near the city. Coincidence? He boasts on social media about having participated as an extra in a NATO maneuver. The old investigation file from Essen ends up at the Stendal Public Prosecutor's Office, but the case is closed due to lack of evidence. For months, we try to reach Nikolaj B. - without success. The neighbors have not seen him for months. It is the last known registered address of Nikolaj B. in Germany.

Then we find a video on the Russian internet channel Lipetskmedia. Posted in October 2022. Nikolaj B. is presented as a hero in front of the backdrop of a World War II war memorial. He talks about the German investigations. He is being politically persecuted in Germany. Yes, a German special unit stormed our apartment, they left a terrible mess. He also talks about why he fought for Putin. Damn it, I'm Russian. I think in Russian. I think in German. When the Maidan happened on May 2, back then, I felt sorry for everyone. Everyone. I then joined the People's Army. They asked me where I wanted to serve, and I said Sloviansk. No one has seen him properly again. I believe, from the end of 2020 until today. A month after I left him, I looked at his photos and noticed that his teeth were falling out. Sure, he took harder drugs there, that's 100% certain. According to our research, Nikolaj B. was able to enter and leave Germany multiple times in recent years without hindrance. He has a German and a Kazakh passport. Apparently, many fighters with multiple citizenships travel freely from Donbass to other countries. How do German authorities react to this? The federal police responded to the request:

That didn't work for Nikolaj B. Viktor K. apparently was in Germany for the last time in 2017. I wanted to show something again. I know... ah! Three passports. That's the first passport from the People's Republic of Donetsk, the Russian passport...  And the German one. We sent 37 inquiries to German security authorities and the Federal Prosecutor's Office, wanting to know if there is any information about German fighters on the Russian side or if there are returnees from the Donbass region. In total, the authorities report to us about two officially known cases. For example, the Senate Chancellery of Hamburg responds: None of your security authorities are aware of any cases. During our research, we only speak with three fighters from Hamburg: Viktor K., Vladimir K., and Leon Raul L. It's not possible to be on the sunny side of German citizenship, only to then commit war crimes in the shadows with another citizenship. Putin's mercenaries with a German passport like Viktor K., Alexander F., and Nikolaj B. are hardly punishable in Germany for their combat missions. The legal situation is vague. However, as returnees, they and potential supporters are dangerous in Germany. Meanwhile, a video from December 2023 was leaked to us, filmed somewhere in Essen. It shows Nikolaj B.: marked by the war in Ukraine.

Treated in a German hospital. Voluntarily giving up life in Germany to go to war for Putin? What do you think about that? Write to us in the comments. And if you want to know more about the case of Alexander F., watch our documentary about him!

Der Fall Nikolaj B.: Warum Deutsche für Russland an die Front gehen I Spurensuche I frontal

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German Citizens Volunteering for Putin's War: The Story of Nikolaj B.

Several hundred Germans have joined the 'Pyatnashka' battalion to fight on the Russian side in Ukraine, with Nikolaj B.

being one of them, receiving medals for his combat missions.

, also known as Stierlitz, left Germany to fight for Putin, driven by his fascination with Russian history, politics, and war, and was recruited by Mikhail Polynkov to join the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

His involvement in Igor Girkin's unit, which was the first at the MH17 crash site, raises questions about his role in the war and potential danger to Germany as one of the 27 mercenaries fighting for Putin.

Connections of Russian Recruiters in Germany and Ukraine

A Russian recruiter, Polynkov, has connections to individuals in Germany and Western Europe, including a German man, Viktor K, who joined the Pyatnashka Brigade in Donbass.

The recruiter is also associated with Eremenko, a board member of an association for Russian and NVA special forces veterans, with ties to the Russian secret service.

Viktor K, a 37-year-old from Hamburg, was influenced by Novorossiya propaganda before joining the brigade, where he encountered other Germans who had also joined the group.

Recruitment of German Fighters for Battlegrounds in Ukraine and Syria

Young German men are lured into joining the Pyatnashka battalion, with some being attracted by young women acting as bait for recruitment.

transitions from fighting in Donbass to presenting a black box from a Russian warplane to the Kremlin, before being noticed by German authorities in 2015.

A 40-year-old German fighter, codenamed Dnjepr, gains attention in Russian propaganda channels before being wounded and captured by Ukrainian forces.

German Fighter's Experience in the Ukraine War

, joins the war in Ukraine to fight against fascism, initially with the Donetsk People's Republic.

He later finds himself on the Russian side, experiencing the devastating siege of Mariupol and witnessing the Kremlin's propaganda influence on captured soldiers.

Despite others' beliefs, he no longer wishes to fight and expresses a desire to leave the horrors of war behind.

The Potential Threat of Putin's German Mercenaries

Putin is reportedly using about 30 German mercenaries, but the actual number may be higher, raising concerns about their return to Germany.

, is believed to have returned to Germany after being involved in combat missions, potentially posing a security risk.

's ability to freely travel to and from Germany, despite his involvement in the conflict, raises questions about the German authorities' response to individuals with multiple citizenships involved in such activities.

German authorities have limited information about German fighters in the Russian side, with only two officially known cases.

The legal situation regarding these fighters' combat missions is vague, making them hardly punishable in Germany.

was filmed in a video, showing him being treated in a German hospital before voluntarily leaving Germany to go to war in Ukraine, raising concerns about the danger he and other potential supporters may pose in Germany.