- Written by Jessica Parker and Laura Gozzi
- BBC News in Berlin and London
image source, Getty Images
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned that the leak was an attempt by Russia to sow division.
Germany is rushing to explain how conversations between air force officials discussing delivering long-range missiles to Ukraine were leaked by Russian intelligence sources.
Last week, Russia's state-run RT channel posted an audio recording of the meeting.
Police officers can be heard discussing how a missile could land on the Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia and Crimea.
This information leak raised major concerns about Germany's security among its allies.
In the recording, four senior German military officials, including Air Force Commander Ingo Gerhardts and Brigadier General Frank Greif, can be heard discussing the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles.
The men also discuss details of alleged British operations on the ground in Ukraine.
Tobias Ellwood, a British MP and former chairman of the Commons defense committee, told the BBC that the leak was “alarming on many levels”.
Germany's Defense Ministry acknowledged that conversations between air force officials had been “intercepted” but could not say whether the recordings had been tampered with.
The discussion was reportedly hosted on the Webex conference platform rather than a secure military platform, causing further embarrassment for Berlin.
German military counterintelligence is investigating the security breach. However, it is unclear whether the findings will be made public.
Supporters of Prime Minister Olaf Scholz are resisting calls from opposition parties for a parliamentary investigation.
The episode highlighted disagreements over Prime Minister Scholz's current insistence not to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine. Scholz is concerned that the missile, which has a range of about 500 kilometers (300 miles), could be used by Ukraine to attack Russian territory.
France and Britain supply Kiev with Scalp and Storm Shadow missiles, both of which have about half the range.
Mr Ellwood said the leak was a sign of “a conflict between the German military brass who wanted to send Taurus and the German chancellor, who appears increasingly concerned with his own political survival rather than what is best for the continent.” He said that he was feeling nervous.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has sought to portray the hack as an attempt by Russia to sow division. He called the leak a “hybrid disinformation attack” aimed at “undermining our unity.”
“We must not be fooled by President Putin,” he said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin claims the leaks are proof that Western countries are directly involved in the Ukraine conflict.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the leaked conversations “suggest that the Bundeswehr is discussing substantial and concrete plans to attack Russian territory.”
