cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/31188988

A statement from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 26 about long-range strikes inside Russia resurrected a long-held hope in Ukraine — that Berlin is finally about to send Kyiv its Taurus missiles.

"There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the U.K., France, nor us. There are no restrictions by the U.S. either," Merz said.

Dampening expectations somewhat, Merz the next day clarified he was referring to permissions given by Ukraine's allies last year, but his mention of "us" still raised speculation that they could be on their way — currently, Berlin provides Ukraine with no long-range missiles that the granted permissions related to.

"It's good news that they have lifted these restrictions on the use of missiles," Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian lawmaker and chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent.

"But where are these missiles? Where is Taurus, for example?" he added.

Why hasn't Germany sent Taurus to Ukraine?

Germany’s stance on not sending Ukraine Taurus missiles was a policy largely driven by Olaf Scholz, Merz’s predecessor. Ukraine has been using U.S.-made ATACMS for over a year, and U.K.-French Storm Shadows for more than two.

"Delivering Taurus at this point is less for the Ukrainians and more for the Germans because Taurus has become this ultimate symbol of German fear and escalation angst," Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo specializing in missile technology, told the Kyiv Independent.

"And that's why delivering Taurus is so important — you right that wrong," he added.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on May 9, 2025. (Omar Havana / Getty Images)

While Scholz repeatedly blocked the delivery of Taurus missiles over his concerns about escalation, his successor has been much more open about the possibility.

In April, Merz even specifically suggested Taurus could be used to target strategic Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea, including the Crimean Bridge.

In an interview with ARD, Merz emphasized the need to support Ukraine in moving from a reactive to a proactive stance on the battlefield, saying Kyiv must be equipped to "shape events" and "get ahead of the situation."

"If things continue as they are, if, for example, the most important land connection between Russia and Crimea is destroyed, or if something happens on Crimea itself, where most of the Russian military logistics are located, then that would be an opportunity to bring this country strategically back into the picture, finally," Merz said.

The Taurus difference

In range, speed and payload, Taurus much resembles the Storm Shadow, which is made by Taurus’ manufacturer MBDA’s French affiliate.

"Scalp/Storm Shadow and Taurus belong to the same class of cruise missiles," a representative for MBDA Deutschland, wrote in a statement to the Kyiv Independent.

"They differ in their performance data, but are both fundamentally suitable for deep strike missions against strategic targets."

"Taurus is the best weapon system in Western arsenals to take down bridges."

The primary distinction for Taurus is in the design of the actual warhead — Taurus can be programmed to explode after hitting a specific target, such as a bunker.

The missile can penetrate and actually count layers before the final explosion, maximizing damage.

Taurus would represent a major upgrade to Ukraine’s deep-strike firepower, primarily because it can blast through denser Russian fortifications.

Possible targets for Taurus missiles. (Nizar al-Rifal/The Kyiv Independent)

Thanks to a more efficient engine, Hoffmann explains, Taurus can also reach deeper into Russia than other system currently in Ukraine's arsenal, and packs more of an explosive punch than Ukraine’s new crop of deep-strike "missile-drones."

Despite a publicly advertised range of 560 or more kilometers, Hoffmann believes they can reach 700 to 800 kilometers. They are, however, air-launched, so they originate from planes that would not be over the front line, where they would be vulnerable to Russian anti-aircraft fire.

Taurus "can be easily adapted" to F-16 fighter jets, which are now deployed in Ukraine, and to Gripen — a Swedish aircraft that could be on their way soon.

"Taurus is the best weapon system in Western arsenals to take down bridges," said Hoffmann.

"So in theory, if Ukraine wants to take down the Crimean Bridge, Taurus would be the ideal weapon system to do that."

The target — Putin's Crimean Bridge

Constructed after Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Crimean Bridge is a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces to occupied Ukrainian territories.

It also holds huge symbolic value — the $4 billion project was a political statement designed to cement what Russian President Vladimir Putin saw as one of his crowning moments — the annexation of Crimea.

The bridge has been a repeated target of Ukrainian strikes, suffering significant damage in October 2022 and July 2023, though neither managed to take the bridge out of commission.

Taurus could potentially change that.

A general view of the Crimean Bridge, which connects Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine, with Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, on July 25, 2023. (Stringer / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The delay

There has so far been no confirmation of actual delivery of Taurus to Ukraine.

"We are not issuing comments on any speculation on political debates and decisions," a representative for MBDA Deutschland, Taurus’ manufacturer, wrote in a statement to the Kyiv Independent. "Please rest assured that MBDA is prepared to support the German government and Ukraine with the necessary integration, training and logistics if a political decision is made."

Hoffmann notes that Taurus today is less important for Ukraine than it would have been two years ago, when there were fewer home-grown options for deep strikes.

A protester holds a banner demanding the Taurus missile system as people, including many Ukrainians living in Berlin, gather at the Brandenburg Gate to demonstrate in support of Ukraine on March 9, 2025. (Omer Messinger / Getty Images)

"If you deliver it now, Ukrainians could use it against the targets that really matter, whereas in 2023, they had to allocate Storm Shadow for everything. So there are some advantages, I'm not saying it's nothing," Hoffmann explained.

"But a long range drone with a 50 kg warhead or even less is perfectly fine under some circumstances. So Ukraine has a lot of options."

Ukraine's missile stocks

Experts believe that the Taurus is unlikely to be a game-changer in the war and that while targeting the Crimean Bridge would be a big symbolic victory for Kyiv, Ukraine needs it primarily to replenish its long-range weapons stockpile.

"Storm Shadow, SCALP EG, they are running out sooner or later. Taurus is another very capable cruise missile that could be used by Ukrainians to just extend the availability of its long-range range strike capability," Hoffman said.

"This is a key advantage. It's mostly about the quantity and the number of missile systems available in Ukraine's arsenal."

cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/27127232

The meat of brown bears, a protected species in the EU, could soon be available to eat in Slovakia after the populist government approved plans for sale.

Last month, the cabinet authorised a plan to shoot about a quarter of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some recent fatal encounters.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30380129

The new German government has agreed to stop family members of refugees with subsidiary protection status from moving to Germany. The controversial move will particularly affect Syrian families.

There are currently around 351,400 people with subsidiary protection status living in Germany, the majority from Syria. They receive a residence permit, it was initially for one year, in 2024 this initial period was extended to three years.

They have the right to live and work in Germany and access social benefits. But while asylum-seekers and recognized refugees have the right to reunification with spouses and children under the age of 18 under German and EU law, those with subsidiary protection status do not.

Now, the new coalition government of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) plan to suspend family reunification for those with subsidiary protection status for at least the next two years.

cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/27057218

The euro could become a viable alternative to the dollar, earning the 20-nation bloc immense benefits, if governments could only strengthen the bloc's financial and security architecture, ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Monday.

Unnerved by erratic U.S. economic policy, global investors have been reducing their exposure to dollar assets in recent months but many have opted for gold instead, not seeing a direct alternative.

Thousands of Israelis have joined a state-funded march through the Muslim quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem, where large groups chanted racist slogans including “Gaza is ours”, “death to the Arabs” and “may their villages burn”.

Several EU member countries demanded strong EU actions on Hungary after what they see as a rule of law backsliding, but Hungary has said political hysteria surround the meeting.

EU ministers meeting for a General Affairs Council in Brussels have begun a hearing on rule of law in Hungary under the framework of the EU's Article 7 process, as patience wears thin over recent legal initiatives in Budapest.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday he no longer understands the Israeli army's objective in Gaza amid a stepped-up offensive in the Palestinian territory.

"Honestly speaking, I no longer understand what the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip, with what goal," he told public broadcaster WDR.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/65104009

The country's main farming unions want to pressure MPs into re-authorising a neurotoxic insecticide accused of causing massive bee and pollinator die-offs.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/65102495

The Israeli government's actions in Gaza "can no longer be justified," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday, signalling a profound shift in tone from one of Europe's traditionally most staunch supporters of Israel.

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/31084241

Video footage of a young girl trying to flee an inferno caused by a Monday Israeli airstrike that killed dozens of Palestinians including her mother and siblings sparked global outrage and calls for an immediate cease-fire in what one former Israeli prime minister called a "war of extermination."

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/38774001

Namibia this week will holdits first national commemoration for victims of mass killings by German occupiers in what is widely recognised as the first genocide of the 20th century, the government said.

Colonial-era German troops massacred tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people who rebelled against their rule in the southern African country between 1904 and 1908.

It was known from 1884 to 1915 as German South West Africa, or Deutsch-Südwestafrika in German, part of the German empire on the continent with Togoland in West Africa, German Kamerun in central Africa, and in German East Africa (formed of today's mainland Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda).

This Genocide Remembrance Day will be celebrated in the gardens of Namibia's parliament and feature a candlelight vigil and minute of silence, according to a government programme released Monday.

The day has been declared a national holiday in Namibia and members of the diplomatic community are expected at the event, where President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will deliver a keynote address.

The commemorations will then be held annually to mark "the beginning of a national journey of healing", the government said. It "serves as a moment of national reflection and mourning", the government added.

The date of 28 May was chosen for this annual commemoration as it was the day in 1907 when German authorities ordered the closure of concentration camps following international criticism over the brutal conditions and high death rates.

Germany long refused to take the blame for the episode of the year 1907 in Namibia, recognised only in 2021 that its settlers had committed the genocide, after a discussion started in 2015.

Berlin has not issued a formal apology or offered reparations but in 2021 pledged more than one billion euros in development aid over 30 years, which was rejected in Namibia. Negotiations are continuing.

Germany ruled German South West Africa as a colony with settlers taking local women, land and cattle, which led the Herero tribe to launch a revolt in January 1904. More than 100 German civilians were killed over several days. The smaller Nama tribe joined the uprising in 1905.

The settler community was very small, only a few thousand, and Germany feared that it had lost its deterrence vis-à-vis the natives.

So, the Germans responded ruthlessly. An estimated 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people were killed. Hundreds were also beheaded after their deaths and their skulls handed to researchers in Berlin for experiments attempting to prove the racial superiority of whites over blacks.

Germany was later forced out of the colony in 1915. Namibia passed to South African rule, and only gained independence in 1990.

The events are now knows by historians as the first genocide of the twentieth century.

Some historians even see the killings as important steps towards the Holocaust by Germany in Europe during the second world war.

(with AFP)