Germany is investigating after a recording of its officers discussing aid to Ukraine was leaked to Russia.
German authorities said Saturday they were investigating after the publication in Russia of an audio recording in which German military officers allegedly discussed support for Ukraine, including the potential use of Taurus missiles.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in Rome on Saturday, described the affair as “very serious” and said German authorities were working to clarify the issue “very carefully, very intensively and very quickly”. His comments were picked up by German news agency DPA.
In the 38-minute recording, German military officers appear to discuss how long-range Taurus cruise missiles could be used by Ukraine. A debate is taking place in Germany over whether to provide the missiles, as Ukraine faces battlefield setbacks after two years of war and U.S. military aid is blocked in Congress.
This week, Olaf Scholz said he remained reluctant to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, highlighting a risk for Germany to become directly involved in the war. His hesitation is a source of friction within his three-party coalition and has also irked Germany’s conservative opposition.
Germany’s Defense Ministry said it was investigating whether communications within the air force had been intercepted by Russia. In a press release released by DPA, it is stated: “Based on our assessment, a conversation within the Air Force was intercepted. We cannot currently say with certainty whether any changes have been made to the recorded or written version circulating on social media.”
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russian public broadcaster RT, posted the audio on social media.
“In this (…) recording, senior Bundeswehr officers discuss how they are going to bomb (attention!) the Crimean bridge”, she wrote on the messaging app Telegram, adding that the conversation took place on February 19. During that conversation, she said, one of the officers mentioned a planned trip to Ukraine on Feb. 21 to coordinate strikes on Russian targets.