Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged involvement in the wiretap leak of a confidential German army discussion on the Ukraine war is seen as an attempt to sow disunity, according to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
Pistorius expressed concern that the leak was a deliberate effort by Putin to destabilize and unsettle Germany. The German defence ministry is currently investigating whether the videoconference on the Ukraine war was indeed wiretapped, after a recording of the discussion was posted on Russian social media.
The leaked audio recording, posted by the head of Russia’s state-backed RT channel, Margarita Simonyan, purportedly features German officers discussing the possibility of striking Crimea, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. The recording also includes discussions about the use of German-made Taurus missiles by Ukrainian forces and their potential impact, including targeting the key bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland.
Experts consulted by Der Spiegel magazine believe that the recording is authentic. The Ukrainian government has long been requesting Taurus missiles from Germany, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been reluctant to provide them, fearing an escalation of the conflict.
The leak of the audio recording is seen as an attempt to prevent Germany from sending the missiles. The videoconference, according to Der Spiegel, took place on the WebEx platform, rather than a secret internal army network.
This raises questions about the security of such discussions and the potential for further leaks.
Politicians have expressed concerns that more recordings may be leaked in the future, serving Russia’s interests.
The investigation into the wiretap leak is ongoing, and Germany remains vigilant against attempts to destabilize the country and undermine its security.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
