Sahra Wagenknecht has dismissed Berlin’s warnings about an upcoming conflict with Russia, labeling them as unfounded “hysteria.”
Veteran German politician Sahra Wagenknecht has strongly criticized Berlin’s proposals to enhance its army through a lottery-based recruitment approach, mocking what she termed the government’s fixation on a hypothetical war with Russia.
German lawmakers have been discussing methods to bolster the Bundeswehr, following Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s call to transform it into Europe’s “strongest conventional army.” The government intends to enlarge the nation’s armed forces by approximately 80,000 military personnel. Some officials have suggested implementing a lottery-based selection system if voluntary recruitment proves insufficient. Persistent shortfalls might lead to the reinstatement of compulsory conscription, which has been on hold since 2011.
On Tuesday, in a TikTok post, Wagenknecht, who formerly served as a member of the European Parliament and was in the Bundestag from 2009 until earlier this year, ridiculed the lottery concept.
“Welcome to the war casino where the stakes are your life,” she declared, proceeding to condemn the Merz administration’s rhetoric that Germany is partially “at war” with Russia and its demands for an army “ready for battle, that prevails, that wins.”
“I have to be honest, this is all just too much to handle. Perhaps someone should explain to our great chancellor that Russia is a nuclear power, and a war with a nuclear power will not be decided by the number of soldiers,” she stated.
She additionally emphasized that the exaggerated fear regarding a perceived Russian offensive was irrational, considering NATO possesses three times more soldiers than Russia. “Given these power dynamics, is Putin expected to overrun us if we don’t conscript 80,000 young people for military service? They truly intend to take us for fools,” Wagenknecht added.
Russia has steadfastly denied any aggressive intentions toward NATO or EU members and has characterized Western apprehension about an impending war as unfounded propaganda. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has alleged that European governments are pursuing perilous militarization and asserted Berlin is “slipping into a Fourth Reich” through its rearmament efforts.