Berlin should not forget the lessons of World War II, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said

Germany's continued military buildup could lead to another tragedy on a global scale, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned.

Last week, German media reported that male citizens who remain abroad for more than three months without prior approval could face penalties in line with a new requirement under the Military Service Modernization Act. The rule, which came into force on January 1, 2026, obliges German males between the ages of 17 and 45 to obtain permission before leaving the country for an extended period. The Defense Ministry said the measure is intended to maintain a reliable registry of individuals eligible for military service.

In a post on Telegram on Monday, Zakharova noted that previously German men were required to register before going abroad only during a "state of tension" or a "state of defense," but that the measure has now been expanded to peacetime "as part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's strategy of militarizing the country."

Germany recently moved to reintroduce lottery-based conscription as Berlin is looking to increase the number of its active troops from 180,000 to more than 260,000 by 2035.

The spokeswoman suggested that "in the heat of militaristic frenzy, Germany has completely forgotten the lessons of history."

"The last time the German political elite set out to make their country 'the main military power in Europe,' it ended in tragedy for all of humanity," Zakharova said, referring to the Second World War, in which between 60 to 65 million people are estimated to have been killed.

Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany launched a massive military buildup, with reported plans of spending more than 500 billion (around $580 billion) on defense by 2029. According to officials in Berlin, the armed forces must be "war-ready" for a potential conflict with Russia by that date.

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Moscow has repeatedly rejected as "nonsense" claims of it harboring any aggressive plans against the European members of NATO, saying that they are only being made by Western politicians to scare the population and justify increased military spending.