Dismissing German rearmament through the claim that tanks are “useless”

What it claims

Orders for tanks and infantry fighting vehicles for the Bundeswehr are cast as proof that rearmament is unrelated to security and defence capability, while tanks are portrayed as unfit for modern warfare. EU action concerning Russian vessels and support for drones are stretched into an image of the EU as a direct party to war. The energy crisis is mentioned alongside drought and these accusations.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• Germany is ordering hundreds of tanks even though they are no longer useful in modern warfare.

  Anti-Spiegel (website), 25 Aug 2026

  anti-spiegel.ru/2026/warum-bestellt-deutschland-hunderte-panzer-wenn-sie-im-modernen-krieg-nutzlos-sind/

• The EU supports drone strikes deep inside Russia and behaves as a participant in the war while denying it.

  Anti-Spiegel (website), 17 Aug 2026

  anti-spiegel.ru/2026/quo-vadis-europa/

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

To weaken support among people in Germany for rearmament and military aid to Ukraine by presenting them as pointless and as bringing war closer.

Techniques used

• Exaggeration or MinimisationSupport for drones and action concerning Russian vessels are presented as the EU entering direct war.
• DoubtOrders for armoured vehicles are used to cast doubt on the defensive purpose of rearmament.

The real grievance it exploits

The narrative exploits genuine anxiety about war in Europe, as well as concern about defence spending and whether it improves Germany’s security.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Watch for different claims about tanks, drones, vessels and energy being stitched into one story of inevitable war. Putting them together does not establish a causal link between them.
• Reframe: Questions about defence procurement and aid to Ukraine require separate scrutiny: claims that equipment is useless or that the EU is directly participating in war should not be accepted simply because they are presented together.

Sources (all time)

• Anti-Spiegel (website)Tier 1
  2 posts · 17–25 Aug 2026

  • 25 Aug · anti-spiegel.ru/2026/warum-bestellt-deutschland-hunderte-panzer-wenn-sie-im-modernen-krieg-nutzlos-sind/
  • 17 Aug · anti-spiegel.ru/2026/quo-vadis-europa/