Europe’s largest economy is already trailing its 2018 troop targets, raising concerns as the country now faces pressure to significantly boost its active-duty forces.
The sudden decision to deploy 4,000 troops has nothing to do with Wagner potentially regrouping in neighboring Belarus, the German Defense Ministry insists.
Germany had initially planned to withdraw forces by 2024, but a ban on flying drones by the increasingly pro-Russian Malian government makes current participation unviable.
