Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
Regardless, in the early 2000s, the Republic of Molossia, a micronation, used the island as justification to "declare war" on the German Democratic Republic (over a decade after its dissolution), citing the island's lack of mention in the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany as "proof" of East Germany's continued existence on the island. This supposed conflict has played a large part in the culture of Molossia though the micronation has never displayed any real intention to take action against the Ernst Thälmann Island, militarily or otherwise.