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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised a thorough investigation after Russia released a recording of a phone call between senior German air force officers in which he appeared to discuss supplying missiles to Ukraine.
Scholz, on the sidelines of the meeting with Pope Francis in Rome, defined the incident as a “very serious matter”. “He will be studied very carefully, intensely and quickly,” he said. “It is also necessary to do so.”
Politicians from Scholz’s coalition parties have expressed concern that Russia may have intercepted other sensitive conversations and that government communications may no longer be adequately protected.
Margarita Simonyan, head of Russian state broadcaster RT, posted a recording on her Telegram channel on Friday of Luftwaffe chief Ingo Gerhartz discussing with other senior officers the possibility of deploying German Taurus missiles in Ukraine. The 30-minute conversation also discussed whether Ukraine could attack Russian targets without the participation of German soldiers and how many missiles could be delivered to Ukraine.
Scholz has so far refused to hand over Toro to Kiev.
According to the German news agency DPA, the officers spoke on the Webex conference platform.
The German Defense Ministry said: “According to our assessment, a Luftwaffe conversation was intercepted. We cannot say for sure whether changes have been made to the recorded or transcribed version circulating on social media.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on Saturday about the “cunning plans” of the German armed forces, which “became evident thanks to the publication of this audio recording.”
There was shock in Berlin that the army’s communications security had been so blatantly compromised, with many senior politicians calling for a radical reform of Germany’s counter-espionage capabilities.
Konstantin von Notz, a senior Green MP, said it needed to be established quickly whether “the wiretapping scandal is an isolated event or a structural problem.”
He said the incident may require a “radical change” in assessing the risks facing sensitive government communications.
Roderich Kiesewetter, defense policy spokesman for the opposition Christian Democrats, told public broadcaster ARD that the incident was “probable” [to be] just the tip of the iceberg.”
The intercepted conversation was part of preparations for a briefing for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. The issue was whether Taurus cruise missiles would be able to hit the Kerch bridge connecting the Russian mainland with Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
The officials also discussed whether Ukraine could attack the bridge without the participation of German soldiers and how many missiles could be delivered to Ukraine. Officials said there was no green light from the German political leadership to allow the Taurus to be handed over to Ukraine.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, head of the Bundestag’s defense committee, told the RND news agency that the Russians were trying to dissuade Scholz from allowing the delivery of the Taurus missiles.
Espionage was, he said, “one element in Russia’s hybrid warfare toolbox.” It is not surprising, he added, that conversations are intercepted. “It was only a matter of time when it would become public,” she said.