CNS News– Germany is trying to explain how Russian sources released an audio of air force officers discussing giving Ukraine long-range weapons. Alleged British ground actions in Ukraine are also discussed. Last week, RT broadcast the meeting’s audio. Allies like France and the UK are worried about Germany’s security after the incident. Germany’s defense ministry said air force officers’ chat was “intercepted” but couldn’t say if the recording was tampered with.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has frequently opposed supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine. However, in the recording, four senior German military officers, including Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz and Brig Gen Frank Gräfe, appear to discuss supplying Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles and saying they could hit the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to Crimea.
Mr. Gerhartz also notes Taurus system “doesn’t even work” rumors. He further claims that German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has considered “what that would look like” if Ukraine receives the Taurus. The men also discuss purported British operations in Ukraine and suggest that Britain has sent soldiers to help Ukrainians use Storm Shadow missiles.
The officers claim the Taurus system is sophisticated, so the Ukrainians would need German help and training. On Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said German soldiers doing such a mission on Ukrainian soil was “completely out of the question”. The officers discuss logistical issues with attacking the Kerch Bridge and claim the Ukrainians would need help preparing the raid, which might be interpreted as German involvement and a “red line for the government”.
Officials said the Taurus would not impact the war and that Germany would supply no more than 100 missiles to Ukraine in another leaked exchange. The fact that the British and French have almost run out of Storm Shadows and Scalp missiles may give the Taurus political momentum. UK parliamentarian and former Commons Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood told the BBC that the leak was “worrying on many levels”.
Berlin was embarrassed that the discussion was held on Webex rather than a secure army platform. Germany’s Military Counterintelligence Service is investigating the security violation. The investigation’s results may not be released. Mr. Scholz’s allies have rejected opposition proposals for a parliamentary inquiry.
The episode revealed differences over Mr. Scholz’s refusal to transfer Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Mr. Scholz worries Ukraine could attack Russia with the 500km-range missiles. Ukraine received Scalp and Storm Shadow missiles from France and Britain, which have half the range.
Mr Ellwood claimed the revelation showed “tension… between senior German military who want to see Taurus dispatched and the German Chancellor, who seems increasingly focused on his political survival rather than what’s best for the continent.”
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is portraying the attack as a Russian subterfuge. A “hybrid disinformation attack” to “undermining our unity.” “We mustn’t fall for Putin,” he declared Sunday. The Kremlin is using the leak to claim that the West is actively involved in Ukraine.
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On Monday, Dmitry Peskov stated the intercepted communication “suggests that the Bundeswehr is discussing substantively and specifically plans to strike Russian territory.” The hardline former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev claimed Russia would “not forget” the leaked chat. “The road of diplomacy is not yet closed, but they must understand what we did to them during [World War Two],” stated.