David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters
Germany Helped Prep Russia for War, U.S. Sources Say -- Josh Rogin, Daily Beast
Over the past few years, NATO countries have helped Russia revolutionize its armed forces. Now questions are arising about a German defense contractor that trained the Russian military.
The world was shocked when Russian special operations forces invaded Crimea with advanced technology, drastically improved operations, and with so much operational security that even agencies in the U.S. intelligence community didn’t see it coming. In Washington, government and congressional leaders are wondering how the Russian special operations forces got so good, so fast, without anyone noticing. Some are wondering how much help Russia had from the West.
In 2011, for example, the German defense contractor Rheinmetall signed a $140 million contract to build a combat simulation training center in Mulino, in southwest Russia, that would train 30,000 Russian combat troops per year. While the facility wasn't officially scheduled to be completed until later this year, U.S. officials believe that Germany has been training Russian forces for years.
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My Comment: The German economic presence in Russia is massive .... a story that is always either under-reported and/or ignored .... in both Russia and in the West. The fact that German security firms may have been instrumental in educating the Russian military to operate in the modern era does not surprise me one bit .... the economic/political ties that bind Russia and Germany together are very tight .... and I would also include the military in this "tight" relationship.