2024-03-02 13:48:38
Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Saturday that Germany was thoroughly investigating the leak of a recording of army officers discussing classified material regarding the war in Ukraine.
Published on: 03/02/2024 – 2:48 p.m.
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Investigation into the German army underway. Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Saturday March 2 that Germany was thoroughly investigating the leak of a recording of army officers discussing confidential material regarding the war in Ukraine.
“This is a very serious matter and that is why it is now the subject of a very careful, very thorough and very rapid investigation,” Olaf Scholz said during a visit to Rome.
On Friday, Margarita Simonyan, director of Russia’s state-backed RT channel, posted online a 38-minute audio recording in which she said German army officers discussed an attack on Crimea on 19 FEBRUARY.
Discussions on the possible use of German missiles
In the recording, discussions can be heard about the possible use of German-made Taurus missiles by Ukrainian forces and their potential impact.
This includes targeting targets such as a major bridge across the Kerch Strait, which connects mainland Russia to Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
Discussions also concern the use of missiles supplied to kyiv by France and the United Kingdom.
Experts consulted by German magazine Der Spiegel said they believed the recording was authentic.
kyiv has long demanded that Germany provide it with Taurus missiles, which can hit targets up to 500 km away.
Olaf Scholz has so far refused to send these missiles, fearing that it would lead to an escalation of the conflict.
“If this story turns out to be true, it would be a very problematic event,” Green party member Konstantin von Notz told broadcaster RND. “The question arises as to whether this is an isolated incident or a structural security problem,” he added.
Speaking at a diplomatic forum in Turkey on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the recording indicated that Ukraine and its backers “absolutely do not want to change course and want to inflict defeat strategic to Russia on the battlefield.
In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova demanded “rapid explanations from Germany” on this matter. “Any attempt to avoid answering questions will be considered an admission of guilt,” she said.
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