1. The conscription of the Ukrainians living here sounds like an order, but the men would have to leave voluntarily
Since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, I have heard many experts take the – often renewed – assessment that it is too early for negotiations between the warring parties. But when will the time be right? In recent weeks, SPIEGEL has not only reported on the grueling and often only minor gains in this war, but also on the enormous loss of human life.
Today it became known that Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov now wants to conscript Ukrainians living in Germany to military service.
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Ukrainian soldiers in Andriyivka
Photograph:
Mstyslav Chernov / dpa
In the coming year, for example, Ukrainians living in Germany who are fit for military service are to be called upon to serve in the armed forces. Ukrainians between the ages of 25 and 60 should report to the recruitment centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Umerov said. It is the "right" of men "to come to us and serve," the minister said in an interview. At the same time, he made it clear that there would be penalties for those who did not comply with the request.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that the country's army leadership had proposed mobilizing "450,000 to 500,000" Ukrainians for the war against Russia. Zelensky has recently been on the road in several Western countries, including the United States, to campaign for further military and political support for Ukraine – with initially not very great success and in the medium term unpredictable. Now the increase in the country's own armed forces by Ukrainians living in Germany is apparently to be brought about with more pressure. "We are still discussing what will happen if they do not come voluntarily," Minister Umerov announced.
My colleague Oliver Imhof says it is obvious that the Ukrainians on the front line lack the personnel to win militarily against Russia, which has more than three times as many inhabitants as Ukraine. "However, it is questionable whether recruitment abroad can really be successful. After all, people would have to travel to Ukraine voluntarily, despite the pressure from Kiev."
Read more here: Will Ukrainian refugees soon have to go to the front?
2. Many Germans support the farmers' protest – because they can understand their frustration
German farmers today continued their protest against subsidy cuts and blocked numerous motorway exits.
In Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, farmers disrupted traffic with their tractors. The actions of the farmers are directed against the planned cancellation of tax breaks by the traffic light coalition. The tax relief for agricultural diesel as well as the tax exemption for agricultural and forestry machinery must be maintained, according to the call for the protests.
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Tractors at the Brandenburg Gate: Farmers' protest against the planned abolition of tax privileges
Photo: Fabian Sommer / dpa
I myself come from an Allgäu family with farming relatives and know that many farmers have had to give up their farms in recent years. My uncle's former farm, where I spent many weekends as a child, has also long since been sold and is no longer operated. Farmers who still practice their profession often say that they feel disrespected and misunderstood in our society – a SPIEGEL survey today impressively refuted this.
A clear majority of Germans want to retain tax privileges for farmers, such as those for agricultural diesel and motor vehicle tax.
According to a survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey for SPIEGEL, 70 percent of Germans think that the federal government should withdraw the planned elimination of tax breaks for farmers. Only 22 percent are in favor of sticking to the austerity plans. Eight percent are undecided. It is interesting to note that the population in large cities is also overwhelmingly in favour of reversing the cuts.
My colleague Maria Marquart reports that farmers are paying close attention to how people react to the protests. Word of the results of the SPIEGEL survey spread immediately among the agricultural associations. "There is a mixture of joy and astonishment that so many people are behind the farmers' protest." The support of the population in the current protest is not to be squandered by exaggerated actions.
When it comes to tractors, my colleague explained, it is about the self-image of farmers. "Not because they're so in love with their machines. But because they are indispensable for what they consider to be the most important job – producing food.« And now, as they feel, they are being punished for the job.
From Maria's point of view, it's ultimately not about a few thousand euros in subsidy more or less: "The frustration about the uncertainty is unleashed. It is fundamentally about trust in politics and planning security. Farmers lack a strategy. And perhaps many citizens can understand that by now."
Read more: Clear majority of Germans want to retain tax privileges for farmers
3. Martin Scorsese to bring some glamour back to the Berlinale as Honorary Bear recipient
In my opinion, he made the best concert film of all time, but also the most terrible. Martin Scorsese demonstrated the great work of The Band in 1978 in »The Last Waltz« and in 2008 in »Shine a Light« he showed the Rolling Stones, which I didn't appreciate anyway, in terrible close-ups of making music and grimacing. In my opinion, the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement that Scorsese will receive at the upcoming Berlinale is of course absolutely fine, especially since the man is not a full-time concert filmmaker, but one of the great cinema storytellers in the world.
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Martin Scorsese at the London premiere of »Killers of the Flower Moon«
Photograph:
TOLGA AKMEN V EPA
One of the reasons why the 81-year-old Scorsese has been awarded the Honorary Bear of the Berlinale was explained today by the Berlinale management duo Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, among other things, that his view of history and humanity "helped us to understand and question who we are and where we come from."
Scorsese will certainly bring a little glamour to the Berlinale, which has recently been plucked a bit by critics and politicians. His latest historical thriller »Killers of the Flower Moon« with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro has been nominated seven times at the Golden Globes. His works include classics such as »Taxi Driver« and »Gangs of New York«. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on February 20 at the Berlinale Palast.
In a SPIEGEL interview a long time ago, Scorsese once explained to my colleagues Urs Jenny and Johannes Saltzwedel his intense relationship with cinema. "When I was younger, film was my everything. My parents were workers, we didn't have books," said the director. The first time I read a novel was when it was on the curriculum in high school, around 14. I first came across the name Dostoyevsky in the cinema, in the opening credits of 'The Brothers Karamazov', and I also got to know Shakespeare in the cinema."
In fact, he spent half of his childhood in the cinema. "You won't believe what I saw in the 1950s, even in German films, in the cinema or on television," Scorsese said, citing the German films "The Girl Rosemarie," "The Devil's General" and "The Bridge," among others.
Read more: Martin Scorsese receives Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement
News and background on the war in the Middle East
Hamas launches rocket attack on Tel Aviv and southern Israel: Eleven weeks after the large-scale attack on Israel, Hamas' arsenals are apparently not yet empty: now the terrorist organization has fired rockets again. Israel, meanwhile, is bombing the Gaza Strip.
WHO Reports Failure of All Hospitals in Northern Gaza Strip: Health care in the Gaza Strip has been on the verge of collapse for weeks, and now, according to the World Health Organization, there are no more operating theatres in the north of the territory. We are talking about courtyards full of corpses.
The city under the city: Meter by meter, the Israeli army uncovers Hamas' network of tunnels – and lets the world participate in it. New videos purport to show how the terrorist organization has established itself under Gaza.
What else is important today
More than one in ten people are sick – and the flu epidemic is yet to come: The number of people with respiratory diseases in Germany continues to rise. There are also initial findings on the flu, although the season for it has not yet begun.
Uefa abuses monopoly for football competitions – successful lawsuit of the Super League: Are international football associations such as Uefa acting as a cartel? Yes, says the European Court of Justice. This means that the Super League initiators can hope again.
Shooting at Charles University in the center of Prague – dead and injured: Shots were fired at a faculty of the prestigious Charles University in the center of Prague. According to initial information from the police, there were several dead, dozens were injured.
My favorite story today: Germany, a club fairy tale
Author Gessen, Publicist Yücel, Writer Menasse: Can the Gaza Strip be compared to Jewish ghettos in an Eastern European country occupied by Nazi Germany?
Photos: Markus Tedeskino / Agentur Focus, Milos Djuric / DER SPIEGEL (2)
My colleague Xaver von Cranach went to the general meeting of PEN Berlin in anticipation of a scandal – and learned a lot about German debate culture. "You ask why you should be interested in PEN, it's a writers' association, isn't it? And what's it all about?" asks Xavier. After the split from the PEN Center Germany, the new PEN, which calls itself PEN Berlin, is currently under stress because of the war in the Middle East: "A handful of members left because, among other things, they lacked a clear pro-Israel statement," Xaver writes. »Facebook posts. Interviews. Newspaper article. Lawyer's letter. And once again, the question arose: Have they actually gone crazy at PEN?"
The assumption is that the PEN palaver stands for something that is currently on the minds of the whole country, as one learns from this text, "the great uncertainty when talking about the Middle East conflict, which sometimes expresses itself in resounding silence and sometimes in empty shouting. A culture of debate that is increasingly determined by modal verbs. Who may, who must, who can?"
Read the full story here: Germany, a club fairy tale
What we recommend today at SPIEGEL+
What good are Europe's new debt rules? The Member States of the EU have agreed on new procedures to pay down their mountains of credit. How safe is the eurozone from the next crisis?
The best apprentices in the country tell us what excites them about their job: They make wooden toys, invent biscuits, brew beer, build houses or repair watches: Here, some of the country's best apprentices tell us why they love their jobs – and what wishes they want to make come true in their profession.
The full pack of life: At the age of 35, former national player Max Kruse ends his career as a professional footballer. Poker nights, rapper attempts: he was often accused of a lack of professionalism. He got the best out of it.
What is less important today
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Cat Taters: Sent to Earth via laser
Photo: JPL-Caltech / NASA
Kitty on a space mission: Taters, the orange cat of an employee of the US space agency Nasa, is a new star among the world's cat video heroes. A video of the animal was sent to Earth from space over a distance of about 31 million kilometers. The sender of the video was NASA's Psyche probe, which has been in space since October. NASA used the campaign to test new forms of laser communication. "No video data is generated on 'Psyche,' so we usually send packets of randomly generated test data there," one scientist said of the action. "But to make this important event unforgettable, we decided to create a fun video."
Mini Concave Mirror
Here you can find the whole concave mirror.
Cartoon of the Day
And tonight?
If the director is already being acclaimed in Germany, could you watch the Martin Scorsese film »Killers of the Flower Moon« on Netflix. It is about a series of murders committed around 1920 against members of the indigenous Osage in Oklahoma. Thanks to oil discoveries on their lands, the Osage were among the richest people in the world at the time.
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Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in »Killers of the Flower Moon«
Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon / Apple TV+
In order to get their hands on their lands and thus future fortunes, the rich cattle breeder William Hale (Robert de Niro) concocts a series of murders, as a result of which the ownership rights are to pass to his family. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hale's nephew Ernest Burkhart, who has returned safely from the First World War, as a "murderous hereditary creeper," my colleague Hannah Pilarczyk says of the film, and at the same time as a "charming jerk driven by unbridled greed for money, but also a little love."
Have a nice evening.
Yours sincerely
, Wolfgang Höbel, author in the culture department