the supervisory board (since 2015) German-Russian Forum, Chairman Foundation for the Reconstruction of the Garrison Church, member of the board of trustees Internationales Bildungs- und Begegnungswerk (IBB), member of the board of trustees Jewish Film Festival Berlin & Brandenburg (JFBB), member of the advisory board Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), member of the board Schloss Neuhardenberg Foundation, member of the board of trustees Political positions and controversy Platzeck caused controversy in August 2010 when he called the reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990 an Anschluss, the word used by Adolf Hitler to defend the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938. In response, Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected Platzeck's choice of words and argued that reunification was precisely what east Germans had wanted, not a process forced upon them. On 18 November 2014, Platzeck called for the international legitimization of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, drawing criticism. He has revised his opinion. His comparison (2016) of the deployment of the Bundeswehr to Lithuania as part of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence with Operation Barbarossa was also criticized. Hannes Adomeit criticised in 2020 Platzeck's book about Russia . He has been listed by Politico among 12 Germans who got played by Putin. Personal life From 1978 to 1984, Platzeck was married to Ute Bankwitz with whom he has three daughters. In 2007, he married Jeanette Jesorka. The ceremony took place one year later in Temmen-Ringenwalde, with guests including Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Günther Jauch and Andreas Dresen. Book Matthias Platzeck: Zukunft braucht Herkunft. Deutsche Fragen, ostdeutsche Antworten. Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2009, Matthias Platzeck: Wir brau­chen eine neue Ostpo­li­tik −Russ­land als Partner. Propy­läen Verlag , 2020 References Matthias Platzeck löst mit seiner historischen These zur Integration der Linken Irritationen aus, Märkische Allgemeine, 1. November 2009 Thorsten Metzner: In zwei Wochen soll klar sein, ob Dreher geht. In: Der Tagesspiegel, 25. November 1998 External links Official biography (German) Short official biography Homepage 1953 births Living people People from Potsdam Presidents of the German Bundesrat Ministers of the Brandenburg State Government Members of the Landtag of Brandenburg Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Leaders of political parties in Germany Ministers-President of Brandenburg Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Ilmenau University of Technology alumni