Germany accuses Russia of seeking to divide Europe with leaked call
BERLIN — Germany accused Russia on Monday of leaking an intercepted recording of German military discussions about how to support Ukraine against the Kremlin’s invasion in an attempt to divide Europe.
Russian media last week published an audio recording of a meeting of senior German military officials held by Webex discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea.
Germany has confirmed the authenticity of the 38-minute call, saying it is investigating what it called an apparent act of eavesdropping by Russia that was part of an “information war.”
Participants in the call discuss the possible delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly rejected. They also discuss how France and Britain are delivering and operating their own cruise missiles with shorter ranges.
While there has been little public response so far from allies, analysts say the recording is likely to strain ties given it is another major security breach and reveals the extent of German reluctance to get too involved in the war.
“This hybrid attack aimed to generate insecurity and divide us,” a government spokesman said on Monday. “And that is exactly what we will not allow. We are in constant contact with our partners.”
Moscow accuses the “collective West” of using Ukraine to wage a proxy war against Russia. NATO says it is helping Ukraine to defend itself against a war of aggression.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters the leak was a matter for Germany to investigate and Britain would continue to work with Germany to support Ukraine.
Still, he added that Britain was the first country to provide long-range precision strike missiles to Ukraine “and we would encourage our allies to do the same.”
Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative lawmaker and former chair of the parliamentary defence committee, told the BBC’S Radio Four Today program that Russia had probably not learned anything it did not already know through the leak, given its vast spy operations.