Russia hacks unsecured German line discussing Ukraine arms aid
The fallout from the leaked audio tape, which features four highranking German officers hypothetically discussing how Taurus longrange missiles could be used by Kyiv against Russian forces, has increased tensions between the two countries
German military officer used an unsecured phone line at a Singapore hotel to join a conference call that was hacked by Russians and leaked to the public, Germany’s Defence Minister said on Tuesday.
The fallout from the leaked audio tape, which features four highranking German air force officers discussing hypothetically how Taurus longrange cruise missiles could be used by Kyiv against invading Russian forces, has embarrassed the German government and further increased tensions between the two countries.
“Not all participants adhered to the secure dialing procedure as intended,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said as he briefed presspersons in Berlin on the initial results of an ongoing investigation.
The Minister said that the officer in question, whose name was withheld, had participated in the Singapore Air Show, which was attended by highranking military officers from across Europe, and then dialed into the WebEx call using either his mobile phone or the hotel’s WiFi but not a secured line as is considered mandatory for such calls. “For the Russian secret services, it was a real find . ... Targeted
Ahacking took place in the hotels used across the board,” Mr. Pistorius said. “It must therefore be assumed that the access to this (phone) conference was a chance hit as part of a broad, scattered approach.”
‘No severe action’
Mr. Pistorius said the investigation was ongoing, overall security had been increased and preliminary disciplinary proceedings were being considered, but that severe personal consequences were unlikely.
“I will not sacrifice any of my best officers to Putin’s games, to put it very clearly,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The 38minute audio leak was posted by Margarita Simonyan, chief editor of the Russian statefunded television channel RT, on social media on Friday, the same day that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was laid to rest after his stillunexplained death two weeks ago in an Arctic penal colony. The recording also surfaced just weeks before Russia’s presidential election.
While German authorities have not questioned the authenticity of the recording, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that delivering those weapons to Ukraine was not an option — and that he does not want Germany to be drawn into the war directly.
However, Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday threatened Germany with “dire consequences” in connection with the leak. It did not elaborate.
Relations between the two countries have steadily eroded since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
In the leaked audio, four officers, including the head of Germany’s air force, Ingo Gerhartz, can be heard discussing deployment scenarios for Taurus missiles in Ukraine before a meeting with Mr. Pistorius.
The officers said that early delivery and rapid deployment of Taurus missiles would only be possible with the participation of German soldiers. The officers said training Ukrainian soldiers to deploy the Taurus on their own would be possible, but it would take months.
‘More important tasks’
The recording also shows the German government has not given its OK for the delivery of the cruise missiles sought by Ukraine. Mr. Pistorius said on Tuesday that while the damage caused by the leak was severe, “the mistake is still being worked through and we must now turn our attention back to more important tasks,” such as how Germany and its allies can continue to help Ukraine fight Russia.
There had been a monthslong debate in Germany about whether to supply the Taurus missiles to Ukraine as Kyiv faces battlefield setbacks until Mr. Scholz said last week that Germany would not deliver the missiles. With military aid from the United States held up in Congress, Germany is now the secondbiggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S., and it is further stepping up its support this year.
Mr. Pistorius pointed out that while the damage done by the actual content of the leaked audio was “manageable,” Russia’s real success was that with the leak it set the agenda for what is being discussed in Germany, and “that’s exactly what Putin wants to achieve.”