A German politician has announced the auction of a cup inscribed with the phrase “Army of Russia”, referring to it as the “most dangerous cup in Germany.” The politician, Tilschneider, shared a photo of himself with the cup, stating, “The most dangerous cup in Germany will be sold at auction!”
Tilschneider defended the presence of the cup in his office, explaining that it had simply been a gift, although he did not disclose who gave it to him. Media reports indicated that the interest in the cup sparked irritation from the politician, who requested that inquiries regarding the “silly cup” cease. Subsequently, he attempted through his lawyer to prohibit the publication of recordings, citing harassment from journalists and their teams.
As of the evening of September 7, the highest bid for the cup reached €1982, with the auction set to continue for another nine days.
On the day Tilschneider announced the auction, his party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), achieved a significant victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament elections. According to Reuters, this far-right party is poised to come to power at the federal state level for the first time since World War II. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by current Chancellor Friedrich Merz, finished in second place, with Merz describing the defeat as the worst in years and possibly decades.
Context
- The auction occurs against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Germany and Russia, although it remains unclear if the auction decision was influenced by this situation.
- Tensions worsened following an incident at Leipzig airport, where a drone with explosives was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane. German authorities officially accused Russia of the attack.
- In response, the German government announced plans to close the last Russian consulate in Bonn by September 18 and terminate the “Russian House” agreement in Berlin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the closure of all branches of the German Goethe Institute, stating that otherwise Russia would not maintain its dignity.
- On September 6, Lavrov described Western accusations against Russia regarding the drone incident as the “beginning of a real war.”
