Concerns rise in Germany over Russian spying on military: Berlin accuses Putin of trying to destabilize country

Russian President Vladimir Putin Seeking to “destabilize Germany”. The German defense minister on Sunday condemned the leak of secret conversations between German soldiers about arms deliveries to Ukraine. Boris Pistorius.

It is the use of this record to disrupt and damage the “unity of the country”.under control.

The minister added that they are “trying to sow political division in the country, and Putin will not achieve this, we should be united.”

Military counterintelligence will have to decide whether “a good site has been chosen” for the talks, said Pistorius, who is awaiting the results of a military inquiry early next week before making a decision.

Olaf Scholz, head of the German government, promised a “thorough” investigation into the case on Saturday. “What is being reported is a very serious situation, which is why it will now be clarified carefully, seriously and very urgently. This is necessary,” Scholz announced as he left for a private audience with the Pope at the Vatican.

Director of the Russian state channel RT, Margarita SimonyanA 38-minute audio recording was released on Friday that it says is part of a conversation between German officials about the bombing in Crimea.

Discusses the possibility of dialogue Ukrainian military uses Taurus missilesMade in Germany and about its potential impact.

There is also talk of potential attack targets, such as a bridge linking the Crimean peninsula, which is occupied by Moscow's forces, to Russia over the Kerch Strait.

The German Defense Ministry confirmed the leak on Saturday and a spokesman said “according to our assessment, the conversation was intercepted in an air force unit”.

Participants in the registration also specify the details of the offer France and the United Kingdom began supplying Ukraine with long-range Scalp missiles last year.

This part of the conversation is one that most compromises the German government because it reveals the secrets of the Allies.

As a result of these leaks, the German military has faced criticism and has been accused of being unprofessional and careless in security matters.

Until now, Scholes refused to send the Taurus missiles to Ukraine, fearing an escalation of conflict with Russia. Questioned by many experts, he also argues that these missiles cannot be launched without the participation of German soldiers, a red line for Berlin.

According to Spiegel's sources, the German Ministry of Defense considers the audio to be authentic and not manipulated by artificial intelligence tools.

Apparently, the conversation – according to it RT What happened on January 19th – it happened not through a secure line, but through the WebEx video conferencing platform, with one of the participants connected via mobile phone.

“If this story is confirmed, it will be a very complicated event,” announced the chairman of the parliamentary control committee of the Bundestag (the lower house of parliament). Constantin von Notes.

In Moscow, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria ZakharovaPublicly asked his German colleague for an explanation, Annalena BaerbachBecause of the audio content.

Meanwhile, the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev He drew parallels with World War II and said it would be impossible to “react diplomatically” to such a revelation, concluding his message with a call for “death to the fascist German occupiers”.

This week, Scholz assured German citizens that he would not send soldiers from the armed forces (Bundeswehr) to Ukraine as long as he remains head of government, after French President Emmanuel Macron considered the possibility last Monday.

(With information from AFP and EFE)