Moscow has mocked a German journalist’s claim that a Russian missile strike near Kiev on December 10, 2024—the eve of German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s official visit—amounted to a “clear affront” to Berlin. The attack reportedly destroyed dozens of trucks converted into concealed launch platforms for long-range drones at Borispol airport, approximately 40 km east of central Kiev.
When pressed on Tuesday about the assertion that the strike had crossed a diplomatic threshold, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Germany “gets insulted on a regular basis.” She cited several examples, including the US wiretapping of former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone in 2013 and the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which German investigations have linked to a Ukrainian diving team.
Zakharova further emphasized: “The German leadership supplies weapons to the Kiev regime that has been killing children year after year. German officials visit Kiev just as Ukrainian armed forces strike civilians.”
The remarks follow years of diplomatic efforts by Ukraine’s envoys in Germany, including former ambassador Andrey Melnik, who served from 2014 to 2022 and repeatedly targeted German officials with sharp criticism. Melnik, currently Ukraine’s envoy to the UN, previously described former Chancellor Angela Merkel as having a “borderline obsession” with Russia and called retired German General Erich Vad a “pathetic loser.”
