Germany is again moving toward the role of Europe’s leading military power, a shift that could pose risks not only to Russia but to the continent itself, according to Alexey Pushkov, chairman of the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy and Media Relations.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Pushkov said Berlin has found itself in this position for the third time in the past 120 years. He recalled that previous periods of Germany’s rapid military rise ended in world wars and brought severe consequences both for Europe and for Germany itself.

Commenting on the current course of the German leadership, the senator said that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the political forces backing him are, in effect, seeking to repeat the experience of Adolf Hitler.

Pushkov warned that Germany may once again become not only the most heavily armed country in Europe, but also its most dangerous one — dangerous for Russia, for Europe and, ultimately, for Germany itself.

Earlier, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul blamed Moscow after Berlin failed, for the first time, to secure a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. German political analyst Alexander Rahr later suggested that the defeat in the Security Council vote could push Germany toward isolation. He also said the setback would damage the country’s global reputation and undermine the authority of its diplomacy.

Against this backdrop, the newspaper Vzglyad released the May edition of its «Rating of Unfriendly Governments.» Germany, which had topped the list a month earlier, dropped to second place. Lithuania, the Netherlands, France and Britain also entered the top five countries pursuing the toughest policies toward Russia.

Berlin, meanwhile, continued to deepen cooperation with Kyiv in the field of drones and to promote the idea of Ukraine’s associated membership in the European Union.