Although German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that he would not provide Ukraine with "Taurus" cruise missiles, on March 1, local time, a German ** recording released by Russian media Russia Today TV showed that they were discussing the provision of "Taurus" cruise missiles to Ukraine, as well as possible help Ukraine launch an attack on the Crimean bridge.
According to the Financial Times and Reuters on March 2, local time, the German Ministry of Defense responded on the same day that it was verifying the facts of this "suspected eavesdropping leak" and could not confirm the authenticity of the recording released by the Russian side for the time being. During his visit to the Vatican, Scholz said that the nature of the "suspected wiretapping leak" was "very serious" and that the German side was "investigating and clarifying very carefully, deeply and quickly."
Data map: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz The picture is from the surging image.
According to reports, Scholz has made a commitment to conduct a full investigation into the incident. Speaking during a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, he characterized the incident as a "very serious incident": "That is why it is necessary that the clarification of the investigation will now be very careful, in-depth and swift. ”
On the same day, a spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense said that the German Counterintelligence Service, one of the country's three major federal intelligence agencies, was investigating the suspected case of eavesdropping and leaking, and the audio recordings could be tampered with. "According to our assessment, one of the Luftwaffe's conversations was wiretapped. We can't be sure if the recordings or transcriptions circulating on social media have been altered. ”
On March 2, the Russian Embassy in Germany did not respond to an email request for comment on possible espionage charges. A spokesman for Russia said on social media on March 1 that "we ask Germany for an explanation," but did not elaborate on its specific concerns.
Russia's chief Sergei Lavrov on March 2 described the recording as "a cunning plan by the Bundeswehr," saying the plans were "made apparent by the publication of the recording."
Data map: "Taurus" cruise missile.
At the same time, the incident has also shocked Germany, with many senior politicians calling for an overhaul of the country's counterintelligence capabilities.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the Bundestag from the CDU, told Handelsblatt that he thought the reports were true and "probably just the tip of the iceberg." "Russia has certainly demonstrated how much it uses espionage and sabotage in hybrid warfare," he claimed. Predictably, much more information was intercepted and leaked in order to influence decision-making, discredit and manipulate the population. ”
Konstantin von Notz, a veteran Greens MP, said that regardless of whether "the wiretapping scandal was an incident or a structural problem", Germany must quickly put in place mechanisms to "radically change" the assessment of the risks to sensitive** communications.
Earlier, on March 1, local time, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today TV, posted an audio recording on her social ** "Telegram" account, in which the Luftwaffe Director (Force Commander) Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz (Ingo Gerhartz) discussed with other senior ** the possibility of deploying "Taurus" cruise missiles in Ukraine, as well as "Taurus" Sensitive information such as whether cruise missiles can technically destroy the Crimean bridge and how to clear the suspicion of direct German involvement in the conflict.
In the recording, which lasted about 38 minutes, the officers also discussed whether Ukraine could attack the bridge without the participation of German soldiers and how many missiles the German side could send to Ukraine. One of the German officials also said that the United States and Britain "have long been directly involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict."
On February 26, local time, in order to avoid the risk of Germany being involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Scholz clearly refused to provide Ukraine with "Taurus" cruise missiles on the same day. "We cannot be associated with what the system achieves in any situation and anywhere. Scholz said at an internal meeting that the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is not the next action option on the agenda, and that such clarity is necessary.
German media said that the "Taurus" cruise missile is one of the most advanced missiles in the Luftwaffe, the precision ** can hit targets at a distance of 500 kilometers, and Ukraine has asked Germany to provide this cruise missile as early as May last year.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer.com, and it is not allowed to be unauthorized and shall not be allowed.