https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The growing threat from Russia and the risk of renewed conflict in Europe have thrown a spotlight on the continent's varied military service models. https://www.thelocal.de/20251127/threat-of-war-which-countries-in-europe-have-military-service Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:37:47 +0100 threat-of-war-which-countries-in-europe-have-military-service Germany's military put a first Iris-T air-defence system into service on its own soil on Wednesday having delivered several of them to war-torn Ukraine to intercept Russian rockets, drones and missiles. https://www.thelocal.de/20240904/german-army-activates-air-defence-system-over-russia-threat Wed, 04 Sep 2024 19:11:10 +0200 german-army-activates-air-defence-system-over-russia-threat Russia disinformation aimed at influencing public opinion in Germany shows no sign of letting up, officials say. https://www.thelocal.de/20230829/germany-sees-no-decline-in-russian-disinformation-over-the-past-year Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:42:55 +0200 germany-sees-no-decline-in-russian-disinformation-over-the-past-year Denmark's military on Tuesday released video footage showing gas bubbling on the surface of parts of the Baltic sea caused by leaks from the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. https://www.thelocal.de/20220927/watch-baltic-sea-foams-with-gas-from-broken-nord-stream-pipeline Tue, 27 Sep 2022 18:32:06 +0200 watch-baltic-sea-foams-with-gas-from-broken-nord-stream-pipeline From shop fronts spattered with paint to insults thrown in the street, attacks on the Russian community in Germany have spiked since the start of the war in Ukraine.  https://www.thelocal.de/20220410/pro-russian-vehicle-convoys-spark-outrage-in-germany Sun, 10 Apr 2022 11:39:51 +0200 pro-russian-vehicle-convoys-spark-outrage-in-germany Germany's former chancellor Gerhard Schröder reportedly met Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Moscow in a bid to get the Russian leader to end his invasion of Ukraine.  https://www.thelocal.de/20220311/ex-german-chancellor-schroder-in-moscow-for-ukraine-peace-bid-reports Fri, 11 Mar 2022 10:03:08 +0100 ex-german-chancellor-schroder-in-moscow-for-ukraine-peace-bid-reports Germany has rejected a complete ban on Russian gas and oil imports over Russia invading Ukraine, but voices are growing louder for Berlin to ditch its economic imperative to take a moral stand.  https://www.thelocal.de/20220310/whatever-it-takes-calls-grow-for-painful-german-blockade-of-russian-gas Thu, 10 Mar 2022 10:40:29 +0100 whatever-it-takes-calls-grow-for-painful-german-blockade-of-russian-gas Germany said on Saturday it would build a liquefied natural gas terminal on its North Sea coast, as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian gas imports after the invasion of Ukraine. https://www.thelocal.de/20220305/germany-to-build-lng-terminal-to-reduce-russian-gas-reliance Sat, 05 Mar 2022 17:13:53 +0100 germany-to-build-lng-terminal-to-reduce-russian-gas-reliance German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF on Saturday stopped their reporting from Russia after Moscow backed the imposition of jail terms on media publishing "false information" about the military. https://www.thelocal.de/20220305/german-broadcasters-ard-and-zdf-suspend-reporting-from-russia Sat, 05 Mar 2022 16:53:50 +0100 german-broadcasters-ard-and-zdf-suspend-reporting-from-russia German police arrested a Russian scientist working at an unidentified university, accusing him of spying for Moscow, prosecutors said on Monday, in a case that risks further inflaming bilateral tensions. https://www.thelocal.de/20210621/germany-arrests-russian-scientist-for-spying-for-moscow Mon, 21 Jun 2021 15:03:48 +0200 germany-arrests-russian-scientist-for-spying-for-moscow The German government said Friday that it would be open to using the Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine once it had been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). https://www.thelocal.de/20210326/germany-says-ready-to-use-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-if-approved-by-ema Fri, 26 Mar 2021 13:50:25 +0100 germany-says-ready-to-use-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-if-approved-by-ema Germany is expecting to be the target of Russian disinformation in the run-up to elections this year, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Friday, calling such practices "completely unacceptable". https://www.thelocal.de/20210319/germany-warns-russia-it-will-defend-itself-against-targeted-disinformation-in-election-year Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:22:54 +0100 germany-warns-russia-it-will-defend-itself-against-targeted-disinformation-in-election-year The head of Germany’s vaccine agency has praised Russia’s Sputnik V inoculation against coronavirus, saying he expects it to be approved in Europe. https://www.thelocal.de/20210310/german-vaccine-boss-praises-russian-vaccine-as-clever Wed, 10 Mar 2021 12:14:13 +0100 german-vaccine-boss-praises-russian-vaccine-as-clever German prosecutors said Thursday they have filed spying charges against a German man suspected of passing on data from parliament to Russian secret services. https://www.thelocal.de/20210225/german-man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-handing-reichstag-floor-plans-to-russia Thu, 25 Feb 2021 12:39:23 +0100 german-man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-handing-reichstag-floor-plans-to-russia Sweden, Germany and Poland each threw out a Russian diplomat in a retaliatory move after Russia expelled their envoys for allegedly taking part in protests supporting Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. https://www.thelocal.de/20210209/sweden-germany-and-poland-throw-out-russian-diplomats Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:26:50 +0100 sweden-germany-and-poland-throw-out-russian-diplomats Germany has become an unlikely champion of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, offering support and possible production sites in the hopes of speeding up the European Union's troubled inoculation drive. https://www.thelocal.de/20210203/germany-moves-to-bring-russian-vaccine-into-eu-orbit Wed, 03 Feb 2021 19:47:34 +0100 germany-moves-to-bring-russian-vaccine-into-eu-orbit Germany has offered Russia support in Moscow's development of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20210121/germany-offers-russia-support-in-sputnik-vaccine-development Thu, 21 Jan 2021 14:44:40 +0100 germany-offers-russia-support-in-sputnik-vaccine-development Work looks set to resume on the controversial NordStream 2 pipeline that will bring Russian gas to Germany despite a fresh protest from the United States on Saturday. https://www.thelocal.de/20201206/work-set-to-resume-on-nordstream-2-pipeline-despite-us-protest Sun, 06 Dec 2020 10:44:29 +0100 work-set-to-resume-on-nordstream-2-pipeline-despite-us-protest Russia on Friday accused Germany of refusing to cooperate with it to establish the cause of of opposition leader Alexei Navalny's illness as he continues to recover in Berlin. https://www.thelocal.de/20200926/russia-accuses-germany-of-refusing-to-cooperate-on-navalny-medical-probe Sat, 26 Sep 2020 12:23:32 +0200 russia-accuses-germany-of-refusing-to-cooperate-on-navalny-medical-probe Russia's leading opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who the West believes was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, has been discharged from hospital after just over a month, the Berlin medical facility treating him said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20200923/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-discharged-from-berlin-hospital Wed, 23 Sep 2020 11:31:11 +0200 russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-discharged-from-berlin-hospital