The murder of two Ukrainians in Germany: the prosecutorʼs office does not reject the political motive of the crime

Author:
Oleksandra Opanasenko
Date:

The Bavarian Central Department for Combating Extremism and Terrorism has taken over the case of two murdered Ukrainians in the city of Murnau — a citizen of the Russian Federation is suspected of the crime. The Munich prosecutorʼs office does not rule out a political motive.

Der Spiegel writes about this, referring to the statement of the Munich prosecutorʼs office.

Previously, the dead were Ukrainian military personnel who were in Germany for rehabilitation. As the law enforcement officers reported, the alleged attacker — a 57-year-old Russian man — was found the same evening, April 27, in a state of heavy alcohol intoxication. He allowed himself to be arrested without resistance.

The police have not yet commented on the motives of the alleged criminal. In a comment to Der Spiegel, a police representative said that there are currently no signs of a political basis for the crime, such as differences in views on Russiaʼs war against Ukraine. Most likely, personal past could have played a role — the men probably knew each other.

The Minister of the Interior of Bavaria Joachim Herrmann said that there are witnesses who previously saw the murdered and the suspect together. The investigation is ongoing.

What preceded

On the evening of April 27, two Ukrainians were found with stab wounds on the territory of a shopping center in the German city of Murnau. A 36-year-old man died of severe injuries on the spot, the second, a 23-year-old victim, died in a nearby hospital the same evening.

The suspect was located and arrested the same evening, he lived not far from the scene of the crime. He turned out to be a 57-year-old Russian citizen — he was arrested. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine later stated that, according to preliminary data, the dead Ukrainians were military personnel undergoing rehabilitation in Germany.

The consuls clarify the information about the units in which the dead Ukrainians may have served, and establish contact with their relatives. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine keeps the situation under special control.