After two Ukrainians were allegedly killed by a Russian, the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office took over the investigation. What does this mean for the motive for the crime?
After the killing of two Ukrainian soldiers in Murnau, Upper Bavaria, the investigation is focusing on clarifying the motive for the crime. “The motive for the crime is currently still unclear, although a political motivation for the crime cannot be ruled out and is being investigated in all directions,” the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Monday afternoon. The authority had previously taken over the investigation. The Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism (ZET) is specifically responsible within the authority.
The two men, aged 23 and 36, were stabbed to death on Saturday evening on the premises of a shopping center in Murnau in Upper Bavaria. Shortly afterwards, the police arrested a man on suspicion of committing a crime. It is a 57-year-old Russian. The public prosecutor’s office said he has been living in Germany since the early 1990s. According to the autopsy, the men died from their severe stab wounds. The older of the two died at the scene, the younger one a short time later in a hospital. The men had lived in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district.
However, the fact that the public prosecutor’s office is taking over the investigation does not mean that there is necessarily a political motivation behind the case. According to police information, there was initially no indication that the Russian war of aggression played a role. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Russians live in Germany.
On medical rehabilitation in Germany
According to previous investigations, the three men knew each other. The investigators explained that there was a previous relationship. It can be assumed that all three had consumed alcohol. “We have clear indications that the suspect was drunk,” said police spokesman Stefan Sonntag.
According to Ukrainian media, the two men were in Germany for medical rehabilitation following war injuries. The public prosecutor’s office announced that the two had been in the Murnau region for medical treatment since the second half of 2023.
There were numerous flowers and banners at the crime scene at a shopping center on Monday, and there were candles on the ground. “The Ukrainians of the district deeply mourn and condemn the crime!” read, another poster read “No – Terrorism! No – War! No – Murders! No – Death!” Next to it are pictures of the two people killed and the Ukrainian flag. Locals were shocked. Many came to the site, laid flowers – some remained in silent prayer.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister thanks authorities
Murnau’s mayor Rolf Beuting (ÖDP) told BR that the Ukrainian and German communities were shocked. The mayor did not see any connection with the war between Russia and Ukraine. He described the crime as an unfortunate isolated case “in which a lot of alcohol probably played a role.”
An arrest warrant was issued against the suspect on Sunday. The investigators initially did not confirm a report from Bayerischer Rundfunk that the suspect admitted to the crime. The investigators also did not comment on the injuries of the two people killed, who were reportedly treated in Murnau. This is about personal rights, said police spokesman Sunday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had instructed his diplomats to keep a close eye on the case and to maintain constant contact with Germany’s security organs so that the suspect would be punished to the fullest extent of the law, according to reports on Sunday evening. Kuleba thanked the German authorities for the arrest of the 57-year-old suspect, as the Internet portal “Ukrainskaya Pravda” reported.
In Ukraine, it was initially clarified in which units the men had served, according to media reports from Kiev. Contact will also be made with relatives.
