Berlin: A video address by the German defense minister shot on the streets of Berlin during chaotic New Year celebrations was criticized on Monday for lacking specifics.
Christine Lambrecht spoke to the sound of fireworks, reflecting on a year that ended with "war raging in the heart of Europe".
According to Lambrecht, the Ukrainian conflict had provided the opportunity for "many encounters with great and interesting people" and "lots of special experiences".
Also Read: Death toll rises to 19 from prison attack in Mexican border town
According to the Tagespiegel daily, Lambrecht's New Year's address "failed to hit the right tone" and made the war sound like an "exciting professional experience".
According to the daily Bild, the one-minute message, which was recorded on a mobile phone, left Germany "embarrassed". Lambrecht, a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats, has been harshly criticized by the media for his response to the Russian invasion and Germany's slow support for Ukraine.
Also Read: New Year's Eve attacker turns out to be linked to terrorism
In January 2022, the minister was ridiculed for saying that Germany would send 5,000 helmets to Kyiv, where the government was requesting powerful weapons to deter Moscow.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense declined to address Lambrecht's "private video" during a regular press conference. He would only say that the clip was made "without any official resources".
Fireworks were banned in Germany for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. On July 4, thousands of revelers once again took to the streets to set off rockets and firecrackers.
Lambrecht's video shows scenes from Berlin with a disturbing backdrop of the Russian air raid on Ukraine's capital.
Also Read: Indian-American Democrat Juli Mathew takes oath as Texas county judge
Many people were injured and at least one died during these riots. Fireworks were also set off for emergency service personnel across Germany.
Interior Minister Nancy Fazer was "shocked and angered" by the extent of the chaos. Anyone who attacks law enforcement or emergency personnel "should be punished with the full severity of the law," he insisted.