![\"Deutsch-Russen\"](\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Deutsch-Russen.jpg\" "\\"Deutsch-Russen\\"")
<\/p>\nDear readers,<\/p>\n
while today there is talk of a “turning point” and threatening confrontations between Germany and Russia, public discourse conceals a fundamental truth: Both peoples are inseparably intertwined through millions of family connections spanning centuries. These connections extend far beyond the known Russian Germans and not only question war rhetoric but also raise fundamental constitutional questions.<\/p>\n
As Francesco del Orbe used to say: “The world would be infinitely better if we listened more to our common sense, took time for each other, and treated everything with respect – nature, animals, and ourselves.” This respect for family bonds between peoples seems to be forgotten today.<\/p>\n
German-Russian entanglements begin already in the Middle Ages. German merchants established trading posts in Novgorod around 1200, while intensive cultural and family relationships developed over centuries. But the decisive turning point came with Catherine the Great.<\/p>\n
In 1729, Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst was born in Stettin – later known as Catherine II, Empress of All Russias. This German princess from the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst systematically brought Germans to the Tsarist Empire: scientists, craftsmen, farmers, officials. Her Manifesto of 1763 attracted tens of thousands of German families to the Volga and the Black Sea region.<\/p>\n
Even more remarkable is that after 1762, a German dynasty effectively ruled over Russia. Peter III, Catherine’s husband, was Peter Ulrich von Holstein-Gottorp – a German prince. All subsequent tsars until 1917 descended from this German-Russian line of the House Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp.<\/p>\n
The numbers speak for themselves: in 1897, over one million German colonists already lived in Russia – 56 percent of all people of German origin in the Tsarist Empire. Of these, 39 percent in the lower Volga, 37 percent in the Black Sea region, others in Volhynia, the Caucasus, and Siberia.<\/p>\n
The dimensions of German-Russian family entanglements only become truly clear when considering the expulsions after 1945. Between 1944 and 1950, around twelve million Germans from the eastern territories – Silesia, East Prussia, Pomerania, the Sudetenland – were expelled or fled westward.<\/p>\n
But not all arrived. An estimated four million Germans remained east of the Oder-Neisse line, many under duress. About half of these people had close family members who continued to live in the territory of the then Soviet Union – today Russia, Ukraine, Belarus – or were deported there.<\/p>\n
German colonization of Silesia had already begun in the 13th century. In Upper Silesia alone, 20 cities and over 200 villages were established according to German law. The centuries-long settlement led to complex family entanglements between German, Polish, and later also Russian families. These connections were torn apart by the turmoil of World War II, but not destroyed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Today, an estimated 2.4 million Russian Germans and their descendants live in Germany. But these official numbers capture only a fraction of the actual entanglements. The so-called second and third generation of Russian Germans no longer appear in any statistics.<\/p>\n
Parallel to this, according to conservative estimates, 200,000 people with German roots still live in Russia. Their descendants often have German surnames but usually speak only Russian. However, intensive family connections persist between both groups.<\/p>\n
In addition, there are about 2.5 million Russian-speaking people in Germany. This number includes not only ethnic Russians but also Ukrainians, Belarusians, and people from other peoples of the former Soviet Union – many with German relatives or spouses.<\/p>\n
How many people could actually be connected today through German-Russian family bonds? A cautious model calculation shows alarming dimensions:<\/p>\n
Calculation basis:<\/strong> We consider three degrees of kinship – nuclear family (parents and children), extended family first degree (plus grandparents and siblings of parents), and extended family second degree (uncles, aunts, first cousins). This results in about 28 potential relatives per starting person.<\/p>\n Russian Germans in Germany:<\/strong> 600,000 \u00d7 28 \u00d7 60 percent active connections = 10.1 million networked people<\/p>\n People of German origin in Russia:<\/strong> 200,000 \u00d7 28 \u00d7 60 percent = 3.4 million networked people<\/p>\n Descendants of expellees with eastern relatives:<\/strong> About two million Germans from the eastern territories had relatives in Soviet territory. With the same factor: 2 million \u00d7 28 \u00d7 60 percent = 33.6 million people<\/p>\n Total sum:<\/strong> Around 47 million people in Germany and Russia could today be connected through cross-border family bonds.<\/p>\n This number may seem exaggerated, but it considers the thousand-year history of entanglements, systematic settlement under Catherine II, millions of Russian Germans, expulsions after 1945, and complex kinship structures across multiple generations.<\/p>\n These family entanglements raise fundamental constitutional questions. What happens when Germany and Russia enter military conflict and people must fight against their own relatives?<\/p>\n The Basic Law gives a clear answer here: Article 4, paragraph 3, guarantees the right to conscientious objection to military service. “No one may be compelled against their conscience to perform military service with weapons.”<\/p>\n This right is comprehensively protected:<\/p>\n No burden of proof for concrete kinship:<\/strong> You don’t need to prove that you actually have relatives in Russia. It suffices to credibly state that for reasons of conscience you don’t want to fight against people to whom you possibly have family ties.<\/p>\n Preventive objection possible:<\/strong> You can “preemptively” object to military service if you consider the possibility of having relatives in the enemy country.<\/p>\n Also protected in case of defense:<\/strong> Even if Germany is attacked and military service is reintroduced, the right of objection remains. Objectors are assigned to alternative service – medical service, disaster protection, civil defense.<\/p>\n Protection for professional soldiers:<\/strong> Professional soldiers can also subsequently claim conscientious grounds and refuse further military service.<\/p>\n Faced with 47 million potentially family-entangled people, an explosive question arises: How war-ready is a society in which millions of citizens can invoke justified conscientious grounds against a war?<\/p>\n The answer lies in our main slogan: “If you really want to be sure something gets done, then do it yourself!” But what if what needs to be done is directed against one’s own family?<\/p>\n The reality is: Germany cannot force anyone to fight against Russia who credibly states having or potentially having relatives there. With 47 million potentially affected, this would question the entire conduct of war.<\/p>\n The situation of Russian Germans today illustrates the complexity of entanglements. Swetlana Jungkind from Neu-Ulm, who came to Germany in 1992 at age 15, describes her family’s dilemma: “My son says he’s Russian. And I tell him: Nonsense, what kind of Russian are you? You’re a German potato!”<\/p>\n This “double foreignness” – neither really German nor really Russian – characterizes millions of people. They were “brought to a homeland they knew nothing about, except that they supposedly belonged there.” At the same time, many still have intensive contacts with relatives in Russia.<\/p>\n For these people, a German-Russian conflict is not abstract geopolitics but tears apart concrete family bonds. Igor from the famous “Russendisco” embodies this torn state: “to have two homelands, both of which are not quite homeland. Two non-homelands, that perhaps describes it better.”<\/p>\n The constitutional implications go far beyond conscientious objection:<\/p>\n Loyalty conflicts in public service:<\/strong> People with close family ties to Russia could be pushed out of security-relevant positions. This potentially affects millions of citizens.<\/p>\n Discrimination based on origin:<\/strong> Russian Germans and their descendants could come under general suspicion – a violation of Article 3 of the Basic Law.<\/p>\n Linguistic and cultural identity:<\/strong> Russian-speaking is increasingly stigmatized, although for many Germans it is part of their identity.<\/p>\n As Earth Guardians, we must see this situation in a larger context. Francesco del Orbe taught us: Nature, animals, and we humans ourselves deserve respect. This also includes respect for grown family and cultural connections between peoples.<\/p>\n We are members of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) and fight to give rights to the Earth. But can we give rights to the Earth while trampling the natural connections between people?<\/p>\n German-Russian family bonds are part of our “nursery Earth.” If we were adults, we would never drive a bulldozer through our living room or bedroom. That’s exactly what we do when we force families to fight against each other.<\/p>\n Our Earthprint concept – the positive, regenerative influence on the entire Earth system – must also include human relationships. Instead of viewing family bonds as a security risk, we should use them as bridges for understanding and peace.<\/p>\n 47 million family-entangled people are not a threat – they are the natural foundation for peaceful coexistence. Their existence shows that peoples are not natural enemies but are interwoven through centuries of history.<\/p>\n Our second slogan reads: “Help us create a livable planet for a happy and healthy life and coexistence.” A planet where families must fight against each other is neither livable nor happy.<\/p>\n The alternative is clear: Instead of war rhetoric, we need politics that use family and cultural connections as a foundation for understanding. The 47 million German-Russian entangled people could be ambassadors of peace – if we let them.<\/p>\n German-Russian family bonds are a historical fact that cannot be dismissed through discussion. They question current war rhetoric and show constitutional limits of war readiness.<\/p>\n As Earth Guardians, we know: “Do it yourself – for all living beings.” This also means taking responsibility for preserving human connections. The 47 million family-entangled people between Germany and Russia are not the problem – they are the solution.<\/p>\n Their existence proves that both peoples are natural partners. Instead of viewing them as a security risk, we should honor them as living bridges for understanding and peace. Because as Francesco del Orbe said: The world would be infinitely better if we treated everything with respect – including the family bonds that connect peoples across centuries.<\/p>\n Let us together sign the corresponding petition (https:\/\/www.rightsofmotherearth.com\/what-we-do) and protect the Earth – including the human families who live on it and can make it a livable place for all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear readers, while today there is talk of a “turning point” and threatening confrontations between Germany and Russia, public discourse conceals a fundamental truth: Both peoples are inseparably intertwined through millions of family connections spanning centuries. These connections extend far beyond the known Russian Germans and not only question war rhetoric but also raise fundamental…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":25081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[605,196,601],"tags":[261,253,254,263,307,557,260,255,429,264,504,252,250,553,505,259,544,262,555,321,320,510,552,308,558,207,266,596,547,550],"class_list":["post-24237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-and-the-world","category-guardian-of-the-earth","category-human-and-fundamental-rights","tag-biodiversity","tag-carbonneutral","tag-climate-action","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-farm","tag-climateaction","tag-co2-binding","tag-earth-guardian","tag-earthprint","tag-ecosystem","tag-europa","tag-francesco-del-orbe","tag-fresopolis","tag-garn","tag-globalpartners","tag-healthy-soil","tag-humanrights","tag-microclimate","tag-motherearth","tag-natural-fertilizer","tag-natural-resources","tag-news","tag-regeneration","tag-regenerative-agricultura","tag-rightsofmotherearth","tag-sustainability","tag-sustainable","tag-transformation","tag-weallaretheworld","tag-world-vision"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"dont-fight-against-your-brother\"](\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/den-krieg-verweigern.jpg\" "\\"dont-fight-against-your-brother\\"")
<\/p>\nConscientious objection: When brothers must fight against brothers<\/h2>\n
“If you really want to be sure something gets done…”<\/h2>\n
Between two homelands: The double foreignness of Russian Germans<\/h2>\n
![\"we](\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/wir-sind-eine-familie.jpg\" "\\"we-are-one-familiy\\"")
<\/p>\nA legal and moral dilemma<\/h2>\n
The forgotten Earth Guardian perspective<\/h2>\n
A positive Earthprint for humanity<\/h2>\n
“Help us create a livable planet”<\/h2>\n
From destroying to creating: A conclusion of hope<\/h2>\n