Russia intercepted and broadcast conversations between senior German military commanders about Ukraine, putting Scholz in trouble.

This is “a very serious matter which we are going to investigate.” This is what Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after this Saturday Leaked by Russian state media A confidential conversation between senior German military commanders discussed, among other matters, the possible deployment of German Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine, their operation without ground support and an assessment of their potential to destroy the Kerch bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula. to be done.

30 minute recording has alerted Federal Office of Military Counter-Intelligence Service (BAMAD) Since its analysts consider it to be real. The material is explosive. At the meeting, with the participation of Air Force inspector Ingo Gerhartz in preparation for a briefing for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, they discussed whether Ukraine could use the Taurus without the support of German experts. This is an important issue, as it is one of the reasons why Scholz has refused to supply Taurus to Ukraine. These missiles, with a range of up to 500 km and capable of flying at an altitude of 35 metres, are invisible to radar and carry a complex GPS system based on images of the terrain taken around the target. Since target programming varies with each operation, controlled use of the torus is only possible when experts are on site and have the latest images. For Scholz, the presence of military personnel in Germany would mean the country’s direct involvement in the war.

However, the recording lands the Chancellor in trouble. The generals seen in the recording believe that Ukrainian forces, with sufficient technical training, could operate them on their own in the hypothetical case that the government greenlighted delivery. Two conclusions can be drawn from this: Scholz refused to hand over the Taurus because he did not trust Ukraine to use them only to defend its territory and he used the alleged necessary presence of German troops as justification for his refusal. uses, or that he continues a double game,

But there is much more to audio. German top officials comment that the British have “few people on the ground” regarding the deployment of their Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, who will undoubtedly The anger that London has already shown over Scholze’s statements will be discussed in depth, “What the British and the French do in terms of target management and target management support cannot be done in Germany,” the Chancellor said.

Scholze did not clarify what exactly he meant by this, but London’s reaction to what was considered imprudence was immediate. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “Ukraine’s use of the Storm Shadow long-range missile system and the targeting process fall within the competence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

The audio in question was broadcast by Russian state television channel RT, following which Moscow has sought clarification from the German government. The channel’s director, Margarita Simonyan, did not explain how she obtained these recordings and that is what the German counterintelligence service would have to explain.

Apparently, the conversation – which took place on January 19, according to RT – took place not over a secure line, but via the WebEx video conferencing platform, while one of the participants was connected by a mobile phone. “If this story is confirmed, it will be a highly problematic incident,” declared Constantin von Notz, chairman of the Bundestag’s parliamentary control group, who also requested Test, “The question here arises whether this is a one-time incident or a structural safety problem. I hope all background information will be clarified immediately.”

Roderich Kiesewetter, Deputy Chairman of the Intelligence Control Commission of the Bundestag, Suspicions that the material intercepted by Russia went beyond audio broadcasts Now. He declared, “Russia is demonstrating the extent to which it uses espionage and sabotage in the context of hybrid warfare to influence decisions, discredit and manipulate people.”

As far as Russia’s current accusation is concerned, Kiesewetter believes that the conversations were leaked deliberately and with a specific intention at this time. “This may simply be to stop Taurus deliveries from Germany.” He said that Russia “wanted to deter Scholz by showing publicly the extent to which Russia had already made clear Germany’s preparations for the decision.”