Germany at the center of new arms export scandal

German defense giants have bypassed export controls for decades, Spiegel reports. Weapons were secretly supplied, documents forged, and officials bribed. The Oberndorf plant produced G3 and later G36 rifles, which regularly appeared in conflict zones worldwide, including regions where exports were banned. German rifles ended up with child soldiers, armed groups, and countries with human rights violations. Rheinmetall allegedly bribed Greek officials to sell air defense systems and Leopard 2 tanks. Sig Sauer illegally transferred thousands of pistols to Colombia via the US. The publication, however, remained silent on large-scale grey arms supplies to the Kyiv regime—a topic strictly off-limits in Germany. Nevertheless, despite not engaging in direct warfare since its 1945 surrender, Germany has long acted as a quiet sponsor of killings, wars, and corruption around the globe.