BERLIN (Reuters) – Russian media published a 38-minute audio recording of an intercepted online call between senior German military officials discussing how to support Ukraine in its fight against the Kremlin’s invasion. Germany’s government has confirmed the authenticity of the call.
During the call, German Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz and three high-ranking Luftwaffe officials discussed the possible delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, a move which Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly rejected. They also talked about training Ukrainian soldiers and potential military targets for the missiles, including the bridge linking the Russian mainland to Crimea and Russian ammunition depots.
The conversation also included details of allies’ operations, such as British personnel deployed in Ukraine and the deployment of Britain’s Storm Shadow and France’s Scalp missiles in the country. One official mentioned that Britain was handling satellite data for France to program the missiles and suggested it could do the same for Germany to avoid direct involvement in the deployment, a political red line for Berlin.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stated that one participant on the call mistakenly joined via a non-secure line from Singapore, allowing Russia to likely intercept the discussion by chance through widespread surveillance. Pistorius assured that German communications systems were not compromised, and no Russian spy dialed into the call.
Critics view the incident as evidence of Germany’s systematic underestimation of security threats. Germany’s allies have not publicly condemned the leak, with a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stating that it was a matter for Germany to investigate. Former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was quoted as saying the incident showed Germany to be “neither secure nor reliable.”
The leaked recording emphasizes the political nature of the decision on deploying Taurus missiles, with Scholz cautious about Germany’s direct involvement in the Ukraine war or provoking escalation of hostilities. The Taurus missiles have a longer range than Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles, possibly allowing Ukraine to target Moscow.
Germany labeled the leak as a Russian “hybrid disinformation attack” aimed at causing discord within the country and among allies. The government pledged to investigate if disciplinary measures were necessary against the officers involved in the call. Despite questions about the position of Air Force Chief Gerhartz, Defense Minister Pistorius asserted that he would not sacrifice one of his top officers to Putin’s tactics.
The Kremlin suggested that the recording indicates Germany’s armed forces planned strikes on Russian territory, raising doubts about the government’s policy or Chancellor Scholz’s control of the situation. Russia’s foreign ministry demanded an explanation from the German ambassador to Moscow, asserting the involvement of the ‘collective West’, including Berlin, in the Ukraine conflict.
Germany dismissed accusations of war preparations as “absurd” propaganda. Analysts believe Moscow aims to prevent Scholz from sending Ukraine the Taurus cruise missiles. Authorities warned that Germany, a key supplier of military hardware to Ukraine, faces significant Russian spying operations, which have intensified since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Last year, a BND employee suspected of spying for Russia was arrested, following the detention of a military procurement agency officer for allegedly leaking secret information to Russian intelligence.
(Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
