5,000 helmets and Germany’s dark history in Ukraine

If anyone produces a ‘history in 100 objects’ for the first half of the 21st century, one of those objects could well be a German helmet from the consignment of 5,000 dispatched to Ukraine, as the Russians seemed about to invade. The donation was noteworthy because it was met not with gratitude but with ridicule, not only from Ukrainians on social media – will it be pillows or duvets next time? – but from Germans themselves.

There were reasons, of course, why the Germans sent helmets, while the British made great play of airlifting 2,000 shoulder-launched anti-tank missiles and the Americans sent Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-air missiles, as part of 80 tonnes of what was described as ‘lethal aid’. Initially, in fact, Germany had said that it would send nothing in the way of equipment, defensive or otherwise, citing a law banning the supply of weapons that could find their way to conflict zones.