Kerch Bridge in 2019 (Photo: Rosavtodor).
"We are investigating whether communication lines within the air force were intercepted," a German Defense Ministry spokesman told AFP on March 2.
A day ago, the editor-in-chief of Russia's RT channel, Margarita Simonyan, released a 38-minute audio recording containing what is believed to be a discussion between German officers about attacking Crimea.
The tapes discuss the possibility of Ukrainian forces using German-made Taurus missiles and the potential impact that would have. Other topics mentioned include firing missiles at targets such as the key bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia across the Kerch Strait.
Experts told German magazine Der Spiegel they believe the recording is genuine.
Kiev has long asked Germany to supply Taurus missiles, capable of reaching targets at a distance of up to 500km.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to transfer the missiles to Ukraine for fear of escalating the conflict.
"If this story is true, it would be very problematic. The question is whether this is a one-off incident or a systemic problem," Green Party politician Konstantin von Notz told RND television.
Roderich Kiesewetter, a conservative opposition politician, warned that other recordings could emerge.
"Some other conversations were certainly intercepted and could have been leaked later to serve Russian interests," Kiesewetter told ZDF television.
It can be assumed that "the exchange was deliberately disclosed by Russia at this time for some purpose", namely to "prevent Germany from delivering Taurus missiles", he said.
According to Der Spiegel , the leaked online meeting was held not on the military's secret intranet but on the Webex platform.
Source
Comment (0)