Do you think that in 1999 Putin was a nice guy?
During the second Chechen war, Putin completely destroyed a city.
"In 2003, the United Nations called Grozny the most destroyed city on Earth."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grozny_(1999–2000)
Do you think that the whole German government did not know that Putin had killed, poisoned and jailed all the opposition in Russia? They did not know that Putin was a former KGB agent and created a police state? The Germans did not know that with their money they were funding a mafia of oligarchs headed by Putin? They did not know what Putin did in Syria?