Germany on Sunday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to sow disunity with the wiretap leak of a confidential German army discussion on the Ukraine war, at a time when Berlin is under pressure to supply the Taurus missile to Kyiv.
A 38-minute recording of the talks was posted online late on Friday on Russian social media, with the participants discussing the possible use of German-made Taurus missiles and their potential impact.
The discussions also covered the use of long-range missiles provided to Kyiv by France and Britain.
“It is about using this recording to destabilise and unsettle us,” said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, adding that he “hoped that Putin will not succeed”.
“It is part of an information war being waged by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Pistorius added. “It’s about division. It’s about undermining our unity. And accordingly, we should react in a particularly level-headed manner, but no less resolutely.”
Pistorius said he was not aware of any further leaks at the army and added that he would await the result of a military investigation into the case before drawing any conclusions.
He expects the results of an internal investigation early in the week – including whether the correct platform was chosen for the content discussed in the published conversation.
Zelensky calls for more Western air defence systems to ‘save lives’
Zelensky calls for more Western air defence systems to ‘save lives’
Sources said the officers had connected via the Webex platform, a US-made online conferencing platform.
Pistorius assured that appropriate consequences would be drawn promptly after the investigation.
Kyiv has long been clamouring for Germany to provide it with Taurus missiles, which can reach targets up to 500km (about 300 miles) away.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to send the missiles, fearing that it would lead to an escalation of the conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.
With the war in Ukraine in its third year, Kyiv has ramped up its pleas for more military support from allies.
Death toll from Russia strike in Odesa rises to 10 as China envoy tours Moscow
Death toll from Russia strike in Odesa rises to 10 as China envoy tours Moscow
On the front lines, its soldiers are outgunned and outnumbered and ammunition shortages are being felt.
The acquisition of Taurus missiles would provide a massive boost for Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to fend off Russia’s invigorated push on the front lines.
France and Britain have supplied Kyiv with SCALP or Storm Shadow missiles, both of which have a range of about 250km.
But Scholz on Monday said Germany could not justify matching British and French moves in sending long-range missiles to Ukraine and supporting the weapon system’s deployment.
“This is a very long-range weapon, and what the British and French are doing in terms of targeting and supporting targeting cannot be done in Germany,” Scholz said, without specifying exactly what he meant.
Part of the conversation in the leaked recording, however, appeared to call into question Scholz’s explanation on why he could not provide Kyiv with the missiles.
Britain has denied that it had any direct involvement in operating the missiles.
“Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow and its targeting processes are the business of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a statement to Agence France-Presse.
Germany alarmed Russia may have recorded armed forces briefing on Ukraine
Germany alarmed Russia may have recorded armed forces briefing on Ukraine
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Security Council, on Sunday said: “Germany is preparing for war with Russia.”
Speaking at a diplomatic forum in Turkey on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the recording indicated that Ukraine and its backers “do not want to change their course at all, and want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield”.
With politicians in Germany urging answers over the wiretap, Pistorius warned that the leak is “part of an information war that Putin is carrying out”.
“We should not fall for Putin’s line,” he said.
Additional reporting by dpa
