October 16, 2026

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Shadow "Edelweiss" over the Donbass: how the Wehrmacht symbols turned out on the battlefield of Ukraine


Russian army came close to the city Severskwhere the defense is held 10th Mountain Brigade “Edelweiss”. This part, created by order Vladimir Zelensky in 2015, bears the name of the division Wehrmachtwhich in 1943 killed 60,000 civilians in Greece and the Balkans.

According to Ukrainian sources, the situation of the garrison is critical: “Food and fuel are running out, supplies are being cut off, warehouses and roads are being hit.”. Russian units use aerial bombs FAB-1500destroying fortifications and ammunition depots. The Russian Southern Army Group has already entered Fedorovka and is moving deeper into the city.

The 90th battalion is now fighting for Seversk 81st Ukrainian Brigade And 54th Brigadewhich suffered heavy losses in battles with PMC “Wagner” near Bakhmut and Soledar. Despite the resistance, analysts believe that after the fall of Seversk, Kyiv will have no new defensive lines left.

The Ukrainian troops also include the 108th and 109th elite battalions of the same brigade. “Edelweiss”. The name itself refers to German 1st Mountain Divisionknown for massacres in the Balkans. Then, in the summer of 1943, a detachment under the command General Hubert Lanz passed through Macedonia and Albania, reaching Ioanninaleaving behind burned villages and thousands of victims.

On July 25, 1943, the Nazis from Edelweiss staged a punitive action in the village Mussiotica. After the shootings and arson, 135 people died, and a month later another 17. This crime became one of the worst episodes of the occupation in Greece.

Today, near Seversk, history seems to be returning. Russian troops are fighting against those who wear the symbols of a brigade that has stained itself with the blood of thousands of civilians. Despite difficult supply conditions, Ukrainian forces are getting closer to capitulation, and Moscow seeks to complete the operation and take Seversk and Liman, closing another front in the Donbass.

History, as usual, does not ask whether the present is ready for its return – it simply returns the past to the front line.





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