What Others Write About Germany – 8 November 2026

In brief

• According to Wirtualnemedia.pl, the ProSiebenSat.1 group plans to shut down its teletext service at the beginning of 2027, citing almost zero viewer interest.
• According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), the fill level of German underground gas storage facilities has fallen below 60%, which Gazprom describes as an exceptional situation for the first week of November.
• According to Tagesschau, cited by Europejska Prawda, a 22-year-old man climbed a mast in front of the Reichstag in Berlin on Sunday, removed the German flag and hung a Palestinian one; Meduza, citing Die Zeit, describes the incident in similar detail.
• According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), Bavarian deputy premier Markus Söder supported the return of compulsory military service, while Minister Boris Pistorius rejects it; since 1 January 2026, conscription has remained voluntary.
• According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), citing Bild, a spokesperson for the Berlin police reported that three people had been detained and proceedings had been initiated in connection with the incident in front of the Reichstag.

Polish press

According to Wirtualnemedia.pl, the ProSiebenSat.1 group intends to shut down its teletext at the beginning of 2027, citing almost zero viewer interest in this service (Duży nadawca za Odrą likwiduje usługę teletekstu – Wirtualnemedia.pl). The same portal recalls that in Poland TVP and Polsat still run extensive teletext services, while TVN is limited to its television programme.

According to Bankier.pl, a Polish financial portal, the cost of an hour of work in Germany differs markedly depending on the region. The most noticeable discrepancies are between federal states, where services dominate, and regions of greater tourist importance (Tyle kosztuje godzina pracy w Niemczech. Różnice między landami zaskakują – Bankier.pl).

Ukrainian press

The Ukrainian outlet NV, which reports that a fresh ranking of European railway stations for comfort and punctuality has been published, states that the Zürich station in Switzerland took first place in the pan-European list. NV notes that German railway hubs performed poorly in this ranking, which it explains by worn-out infrastructure and chronic train delays. (Немецкий провал. Опубликован свежий рейтинг железнодорожных вокзалов Европы – NV)

According to the Ukrainian portal NV (Ukrainian press), former world No. 1 Boris Becker identified the reasons why German tennis player Alexander Zverev, currently ATP No. 1, is not popular in Germany. NV recalls that Becker referred, among other things, to Zverev not speaking publicly about the war in Ukraine, which, according to the tennis legend, was the reason for criticism directed at him. («Не высказывался о войне в Украине»: легенда тенниса объяснил хейт в адрес Зверева – NV)

According to the Ukrainian Espreso, the far-right party AfD plans to organise a trilateral summit of Germany, Russia and the USA in Abu Dhabi, bypassing Ukraine, at which issues concerning the Nord Stream pipeline would be discussed. Espreso cites information from Le Monde, according to which Kirill Dmitriev confirmed Moscow's participation, and the summit is to take place around the second quarter of 2027. (Мир без Києва: ультраправа "АдН" хоче організувати саміт Німеччини, РФ та США в Абу-Дабі без України – Espreso)

The Ukrainian Європейська правда reports, citing Tagesschau, that on Sunday, 8 November, a 22-year-old man climbed an approximately 30-metre mast in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, removed the German flag and hung a Palestinian one (У Берліні чоловік піднявся на флагшток перед Рейхстагом і підняв палестинський прапор – Європейська правда). According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), the incident was presented as part of a broader protest movement, while Meduza, an independent Russian media outlet, reports it in similar detail, citing Die Zeit (В Берлине мужчина забрался на флагшток у Рейхстага и вывесил флаг Палестины – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)). Both accounts describe the same event, which indicates that coverage of it reaches audiences in different versions.

Prasa rosyjska

The Kremlin propaganda outlet Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Bavarian Minister-President and CSU leader Markus Söder supported the return of compulsory military service in Germany. According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), the politician argued in a post on X that the Bundeswehr needs strengthening in the face of a threat "unlike any seen for a long time", and that the new concept for the defence of Germany and NATO envisages increasing the number of soldiers. The same portal reports that Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) rejects reconsidering compulsory service, and that since 1 January 2026 a model has been in force in which conscription remains voluntary, although young men must fill in questionnaires and undergo medical examinations. (Глава ХСС поддержал возврат обязательной армейской службы в ФРГ – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically the director of the European Affairs Department Vladislav Maslennikov, according to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), believes that the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines destroyed not only infrastructure but also the remnants of trust between Russia and Europe. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Kremlin propaganda on RT and in this agency presents Nord Stream as a symbol of a paradigm shift in relations with the West, and Europe as freed from "energy shackles" but dependent on another supplier. According to this narrative, the sabotage investigation is ongoing. (МИД: теракт на "Северных потоках" подорвал доверие между Россией и Европой – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian state agency Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) conveys the words of the director of the European Affairs Department of the Russian MFA, Vladislav Maslennikov, according to whom the European Union has still not issued a political or legal assessment of the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. As Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports, Maslennikov accuses Germany, Denmark and Sweden of avoiding cooperation with Russian law enforcement and dragging out the investigation. This is a Kremlin propaganda narrative, not an established fact. (МИД РФ: Евросоюз отказался дать политико-правовую оценку теракту на "Севпотоках" – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

Kremlin propaganda in the Russian Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) claims that in the West a rapid capitulation of Ukraine was predicted due to a lack of funds to support it. According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), it cites the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung, which writes about circulating calculations assuming such a scenario and about the incomplete payment of the 45 billion euros announced by the EU for 2026–2027. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also cites doubts about continued support after the French elections in April next year and disputes in Germany over limiting funding for Ukraine. (На Западе предрекли скорую капитуляцию Украины – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian foreign ministry stated, via Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), that Germany does not intend to establish the true instigators of the Nord Stream bombing. This is a Kremlin propaganda narrative, not an established fact. According to this source, Berlin is supposedly satisfied with the unconvincing version involving only Ukrainian citizens, and the European Union supposedly remained silent on the matter. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also reports that the investigation in Germany is being conducted slowly and selectively, which should likewise be treated as this outlet's claim. (МИД РФ: Германия не будет искать заказчиков подрыва "Северного потока" – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian press, specifically RIA Novosti (propaganda media), reports that the German Berliner Zeitung sharply assesses the future of Volodymyr Zelensky. Kremlin propaganda in RIA Novosti (propaganda media) states that, according to the newspaper, Europe supporting Kyiv does not realise what awaits both it and Zelensky, and that Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham may lose power. According to the same narrative (propaganda media), Zelensky will very likely go down in history as a "loser in exile", which is the assessment of the Berliner Zeitung, not an established fact. (В Германии жестко высказались о будущем Зеленского – RIA Nowosti (media propagandowe))

The Russian portal Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that Alexander von Bismarck, a descendant of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and head of the "Bismarck-dialog" forum, declared readiness to face criticism in Germany over a visit to Russia. According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), von Bismarck stressed that direct dialogue between representatives of both countries is more important to him than a possible negative reaction, and called Russia and Germany friends, not enemies. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also conveys his earlier claim that Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not have the courage to call Vladimir Putin, which is purely propaganda narrative, unverified. (Потомок Бисмарка заявил о готовности к критике в Германии из-за поездки в Россию – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Kremlin propaganda outlet Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) cites a text from the German Berliner Zeitung, according to which Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron and Andy Burnham, key allies of Kyiv, may themselves lose power, and the Zeitung allegedly assessed that Volodymyr Zelensky will very likely go down in history as a loser in exile. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also notes that Zelensky's term expired on 20 May 2024 and that presidential elections in Ukraine have not been held, which the authorities in Kyiv explain by martial law and general mobilisation. ("Неудачник в изгнании": в Германии описали будущее Зеленского – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Kremlin propaganda in the Russian outlet Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) claims that the fill level of German underground gas storage facilities has fallen below 60%, which, according to a Gazprom statement cited in the material, is an exceptional situation for the first week of November in the history of observations. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also reports that the daily gas withdrawal from storage on 6 November set a new anti-record, 58.7% higher, or 37 million m³, than the previous maximum for that date, and that European countries, according to this narrative, have already consumed about 5% of the stored gas. (Запасы газа в подземных хранилищах Германии опустились ниже 60% – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian portal Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports, citing former head of German intelligence Gerhard Schindler, that European states may soon reduce support for Ukraine, following the US example. According to Schindler, Moscow has managed to create divisions among Western states, and Donald Trump has turned his attention to other matters. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also cites the claim that the plan to allocate 90 billion euros a year to Ukraine is unrealistic, which, as it stresses, is a Kremlin propaganda narrative, not an established fact. (Экс-глава разведки Германии допустил отказ Европы от поддержки Украины – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Russian portal Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports that in Berlin a man climbed the flagpole in front of the Reichstag, removed the German flag and hung a Palestinian flag in its place. The Kremlin propaganda in this account presents the event as part of a broader protest movement, but offers no independent confirmation of these circumstances. According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), citing Bild, Berlin police spokesman Martin Halweg reported the detention of three people and the opening of proceedings. Meduza also reports the incident, stating that a 22-year-old activist climbed a 30-metre flagpole using climbing equipment, threw the German flag to the ground and hung a Palestinian flag in its place, and that Die Zeit writes he was detained about an hour later upon reaching the ground, along with the detention of two men who were belaying him (В Берлине активисты сняли главный официальный флаг Германии — он находится у Рейхстага. И повесили палестинский – Meduza).

The Kremlin propaganda in the Russian Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) claims that German industry is losing around 15 thousand jobs every month, according to the chairman of the Free Democratic Party, Wolfgang Kubicki. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) attributes to him the identification of the most affected sectors: automotive, automotive parts manufacturing, metallurgy, machinery and chemicals. The same narrative states that nearly half of German metallurgical and electrical engineering companies are preparing for layoffs within the next half-year. (В Германии заявили о ежемесячной потере 15 тыс. рабочих мест – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))