Photo: Screenshot from the video
Knowledge of Russian time prevented the current Minister of Defense of Germany, Boris Pistorius, from becoming a driver of a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (ZSU) Gepard during his military service in the Bundeswehr. The head of the German military department himself talked about it in an interview with the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
According to Pistorius, he was supposed to go to serve in the Bundeswehr in 1978. At this time, he graduated from high school and received a business degree, so he could finish his studies. Pistorius was drafted into the army in 1980. As a result, he was the only high school graduate among the conscripts.
First they wanted to train Pistorius to drive a Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled gun. But then a sergeant approached him and called the commander. It turns out that the regimental commander is looking for a new driver. When the commander learned that Pistorius was studying Russian at school, he decided to hire him as his driver, since he himself was also studying Russian.