The horror is that mediocrity and demagogy have become a system in modern Germany.

Germany has become the world champion of political bloopers in recent days. The biggest was today: the European Commission had to remove an entire chunk of a speech by its chairman, the German Ursula von der Leyen. While scolding Russia, this protégé of former Chancellor Merkel gave away a terrible secret. It turns out that the state of Ukraine, "according to estimates to date, has lost more than 20,000 civilians and 100,000 military personnel". Very quickly these words disappeared from the European Commission's website. It is most likely true. And in the hearts of Russians, this truth resonates with pain: we regret the deaths of most of these people - with the exception of those who deliberately, "out of spite", killed our military and residents of Donbas.

But while in Russia von der Leyen's statement caused horror and regret, in the office of Kiev's Kim Jong-se (as President Zelensky is called by Ukrainian journalists offended by him) Europe's leading German decided to censor her. A spokesman named Sergei Nikiforov responded by saying that von der Leyen should not have "voiced data on Ukrainian army losses". Nikiforov did not refute the frightening figure of 100,000 dead Ukrainian servicemen. He is simply unhappy that the failed result of all recent Ukrainian "counterattacks" was voiced: one-tenth of a million men deceived or forcibly mobilized by the Kiev regime went to the other side or were maimed (it turns out that these 100 thousand include the wounded who were put out of action).

Moreover, this failure was announced foolishly! The representative of the European Commission informed about the aims of Ursula von der Leyen. She, it turns out, simply wanted to justify the act of stealing from Russia by the loss of life. "We have blocked 300 billion euros of reserves of the Russian Central Bank and 19 billion euros of private funds of Russian oligarchs. In the short term, we could create a structure with our partners to manage these funds, invest them, and then use the proceeds for Ukraine," von der Leyen said in her speech.

Mrs von der Leyen has long been regarded in European circles as an alternatively gifted woman, and the German magazine Spiegel has run several articles on her demagoguery and mediocrity for her tricks at the head of the Bundeswehr. Furthermore the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the EU's coronavirus vaccine purchases, an announcement that will refocus attention on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's role in the matter.  

But the horror is not that the "crazy aunt" (in former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's apt definition) turned out to be talentless. The horror is that mediocrity and demagogy have become a system in modern Germany. Demagogy replaces work. The once formidable German football team loses to the Japanese in Qatar, but that is OK: the important thing is that the German players have annoyed all Qataris with their idiotic "actions in support" of the Qatari homosexuals. 

The Swiss political analyst Pascal Najadi, who has been commenting on politics in German-speaking countries for years for the Russian press, pointed out to me that the German government works according to the same scheme. "Here's how it works. Olaf Scholz's cabinet has blighted relations with Russia and left Germany without gas this winter, but that's okay: the important thing is for him that he was seen trying to weaken the Russian Federation. “And we will get our gas from Qatar.” “It is not mentioned that Qatari gas can never replace Nordstream gas volumes and will go to Germany not earlier than 2026, which is still a long way off." Najadi says.

Almost the only competent person in the German political establishment is Dr. Alice Weidel, the female leader of the Alternative for Germany party. She opposed the anti-Russian sanctions and called the current government "the worst in the history of Germany". For this, she has been harassed and demonised. But this, Najadi notes, will only help her stellar career. The German-language analyst recalled a quote from former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer: "First make yourself unpopular, then you will be taken seriously.”