They were reacting to a fake story by Russian state TV about a Russia-German girl, Lisa from Berlin-Marzahn, who allegedly had been raped by migrants from the Middle East. For ordinary Germans, the whole situation had something grotesque: Whereas the story had not been confirmed by German sources and a police investigation was only about to begin, the Russia-German protesters were not only taking what they heard for granted, but also directly connected the “rape” with what they see as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “failed” and “crazy” refugee policies.
So what is this all about?
That the Kremlin has long begun to extend its propaganda war to the West is well known. The interesting question is rather why the Russia-Germans and Russians living in Germany (approximately 4 million altogether, 2.5 million of them of them classical “Aussiedler” from the late Soviet Union and Russia) are becoming an instrument in this campaign so late.
The answer is that, notwithstanding their considerable numbers, they have never been a politically very active group in Germany. Additionally, a certain loyalty to the German state could be expected, since especially many “Aussiedler” were initially grateful for the chance to leave the ailing Soviet Union and get access to German welfare benefits.
The economic argument is the key to understanding that this hardly expected mobilization of especially Russia-Germans. While they always saw themselves as somewhat “better” (because of their German descent) compared to other immigrants coming to Germany, they most of all feared having to share welfare benefits with others. Since many of the Russia-Germans belong to the economically weaker strata of German society, the refugee crisis – with all the pressure it puts on German public budgets – is causing huge concerns about worsening life conditions. Additionally, after more than two decades of living among ordinary Germans, the early fascination and gratitude has waned. While integration has been as difficult as for many other migrant groups, the resurrection of a “strong Russian state” under Vladimir Putin has also been a source of renewed pride for these still “split-identity”-people.
Will that mean that “Russia-Germans” and Russian living in Germany are becoming a “fifth column” for the Kremlin in Germany, that they will help Vladimir Putin to cause more domestic trouble for Berlin and eventually weaken Merkel?
None of it is very likely to happen – and that has nothing to do with Russia-Germans.
Rather, the Kremlin’s propaganda moves in Germany are based on a miscalculation. In Russia or other countries of the Post-Soviet Space propaganda is successful because of the lack of a liberal media culture and weak legal systems society does not trust. Germans, on the opposite, are used to wait on “hard facts” before they make any political conclusions – law enforcement is too much controlled and the press too diversified in order to spread disinformation for too long. Thus, they were hardly moved neither by the protests nor by Moscow’s intransigence and just chose a “wait and see”-attitude. Now that the police and press have established the truth about “Lisa’s rape”, it is the “Russia Germans” who will increasingly have to realize the self-discrediting effect of their protests. To conclude, the “Lisa-episode” is yet another proof of the fact that Putin underestimates a central fact about Western democracy: it still works!
André Härtel is an associate professor of Germany and European Studies at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
