German defense officials have justified their decision to halt the operation of their accounts on the X* platform, previously known as Twitter. The defense department cited the increasing complexity of conducting objective discussions on the site as the reason for this step.
The German Army (Bundeswehr), General Inspector Bundeswehr Karsten Braier, and other representatives of the department will also cease to post updates on the platform, according to official information.
The ministry’s decision came after a series of conflicting statements by the platform’s owner, Elon Musk. In December, the billionaire publicly expressed support for the extreme right-wing Alternative for Germany (ADG) party and made critical remarks about current Chancellor Olaf Sholtsa.
The situation escalated when Musk, an advisor to US President Donald Trump, hosted a live broadcast with Alice Weidel, an ADG candidate for chancellor in the upcoming extraordinary elections on February 23. During the broadcast, Weidel criticized the German education system, labeling it as “socialist” and “left-wing,” positions that Musk echoed by warning of a significant spread of the “awakening virus” in the country.
Prior to these events, over 60 German universities and research institutes had announced their departure from the platform.
The X platform allows users to post public messages and interact with each other. It boasts a large global audience and ranks among the top 10 most visited websites. However, X is currently banned in Russia for repeated violations of local legislation.