That is according to Spiegel.
The selection criteria are as follows: reservists must have experience of service on the Marder IFV, and, in addition, must know the Ukrainian (or Russian) language in order to communicate more effectively with the Ukrainian military.
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It is noted that such a request was initially addressed to the Union of Reservists of the Land of Brandenburg. And that German soldiers with knowledge of the Ukrainian language began to be sought after the Ukraine’s military arrived in Germany to master Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
The news is concise, but it says a lot about the specifics of the training of defenders of Ukraine in Germany specifically on the Marder IFV. Actually, as well as about how Berlin made the decision to transfer such armored vehicles to Ukraine.
Apparently, the assumptions of the Western media are correct that Chancellor Scholz made the decision to transfer Marder chaotically, without prior preparation. Otherwise, we would not have had to look for additional instructors with knowledge of the language already in the middle of the educational process. And how unusual such a task can be is shown by at least this figure - the Bundeswehr has at least 6.8 thousand reservists in the German ground forces, according to The Military Balance 2022.
It should be noted that when it came to training the Ukrainian military to use German self-propelled howitzers PzH 2000 or Iris-T air defense systems, Gepard anti-aircraft tanks or Dingo armored vehicles, there was no mention of the fact that the Bundeswehr is urgently looking for instructors among reservists with knowledge Ukrainian (or Russian) language.
Obviously, when it was only about mastering one or another type of technology, there was no "language barrier". And "linguistic nuances" have already begun, when there was a need to convey certain "tactical" nuances of the use of the Marder IFV on the battlefield as part of the unit.
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