Ukraine-Russia war: Germany blasts war claims; British troops ‘on ground’ in Ukraine

A leaked tape of senior German army officers discussing the war in Ukraine has caused outrage and raised serious security questions.

A leaked audio recording of senior German army officers discussing the war in Ukraine has caused a diplomatic firestorm and raised serious questions about the security of German military communications.

Russia declared the recording, which has been confirmed by Germany as authentic, proves direct involvement of Western countries in the conflict in Ukraine.

However, Germany has rejected the claim by Moscow that it is planning attacks on Russian territory, calling it “absurd propaganda”.

Here is what we know about the intercept.

Chief of Staff of the German Air Force, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz was heard discussing air strikes against Russia. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

WHAT WAS LEAKED?

On March 1, the head of Russia’s state-backed RT channel, Margarita Simonyan, posted a 38-minute audio recording on Telegram of what she said was German army officers discussing potential strikes on Crimea.

The conversation between air force chief Ingo Gerhartz and three high-ranking Bundeswehr officers took place on February 19, according to Ms Simonyan.

A British soldier looks into a telescopic sight as he holds his sniper rifle during the NATO DRAGON-24 military exercise in Korzeniewo, northern Poland. Picture: AFP

In the recording, discussions can be heard about the possible use by Ukrainian forces of German-made Taurus missiles and their potential impact.

According to the leak, British soldiers are “on the ground” in Ukraine assisting with the firing of long-range Storm Shadow missiles.

During the call, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, the head of the German Luftwaffe, describes how Britain helps Ukraine deploy Storm Shadow missiles against targets behind Russian lines.

“When it comes to mission planning, I know how the English do it, they do it completely in reachback,” he said on the call.

“They also have a few people on the ground, they do that, the French don’t.”

The British Prime Minister’s Office has said “a small number of personnel” are on the ground in Ukraine to provide security for diplomats and support Ukrainian troops, including medics, but declined to comment on operational matters.

A Ukrainian diplomatic source has also said that “all the European secret services are present in Ukraine - but they are not combat units.” The source added that when allies supply Kyiv with armaments, “experts are on the ground” to help with training and usage.

German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz has been under pressure to supply Ukraine with German-made Taurus missiles, but has feared it will escalate the war. Picture: AFP

According to the British defence ministry, “Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow (missile) and its targeting processes are the business of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

Kyiv has long been calling on Germany to provide it with Taurus missiles, which can reach targets up to 500 kilometres away.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far refused to send the missiles, worried that it would lead to an escalation of the conflict.

In the recording, the Bundeswehr officers can be heard discussing various details about the possible use of Taurus missiles, including specific quantities.

At one point, they speculate as to whether the missiles could be used to hit a key bridge over the Kerch strait linking the Russian mainland to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands. The participation of France and the UK in the Ukraine-Russia war is discussed in the leaked audio tape. Picture: AFP

HOW WAS IT LEAKED?

The meeting was held on WebEx, a popular public platform for audio and video meetings.

According to German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, the platform is legitimately used by the Bundeswehr for certain meetings, with extra security measures.

The participants may have used the wrong security settings or the wrong platform for such a conversation in general, Mr Pistorius said.

Roderich Kiesewetter, from Germany’s opposition conservatives, has suggested a Russian participant may have had direct access to the conference, though it is not clear how.

“A number of other conversations will certainly have been intercepted and may be leaked at a later date for Russia’s benefit,” Mr Kiesewetter told German broadcaster ZDF.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR WESTERN SECURITY?

The scandal exposes a breach in security that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz himself described as “very serious” and risks sowing disunity with Britain and France.

Thorsten Frei, who heads the opposition conservatives’ parliamentary group, told Welt TV that the intercept raises questions about Germany’s reliability.

The conversation also casts doubt on the reasons Mr Scholz has publicly given for refusing to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

Mr Scholz has argued that Germany could not justify matching British and French moves in sending long-range missiles to Ukraine and supporting their deployment.

But according to the leaked recording, there is no reason why Taurus missiles could not be operated without any direct help from German soldiers.

Russia's chairman of the country's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev (L), says the tape proves “Germany is preparing for war with Russia.” Picture: AFP

WILL RUSSIA RETALIATE?

The Kremlin said on Monday that the content of the recording proved Western countries were participating in the conflict in Ukraine.

“The recording itself suggests that the Bundeswehr is discussing substantively and specifically plans to strike Russian territory,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Security Council, wrote in a Telegram post that “Germany is preparing for war with Russia”.

The conversations “once again highlight the direct involvement of the collective West in the conflict in Ukraine,” he said.

WHAT HAS GERMANY SAID?

According to German experts, almost everything discussed in the recording would already have been known to Russia.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the defence committee in Germany’s parliament, said Moscow had deliberately leaked the recording in an attempt to stop Germany from supplying Ukraine with Taurus missiles.

Boris Pistorius has warned that the leak is “part of an information war that Putin is carrying out”.

A government spokesman on Monday dismissed claims Germany was preparing for war with Russia as “absurd... Russian propaganda”.

Mr Pistorius said there may be internal disciplinary proceedings as a result of the breach, but no one would be fired.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius speaks to the media following the recent revelation that Russian intelligence services had eavesdropped on a call between high-ranking German officers. Picture: Michele Tantussi/Getty Images

German ambassador to Russia, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, was summoned to the foreign ministry in Moscow following the publication of a wiretap leak of a confidential Germany army discussion on Ukraine. Picture: Ina Fassbender / AFP

GERMANY DENIES AMBASSADOR WAS SUMMONED BY MOSCOW

Germany’s foreign ministry on Monday denied that Berlin’s ambassador to Russia had been summoned by Moscow following the publication of a tapped Germany army discussion on Ukraine.

Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff left the ministry building without giving any comment, Russian news agencies reported.

“Our ambassador went to a long-planned meeting in the Russian foreign ministry (on Monday) morning,” a foreign ministry spokesman said, contradicting a report from Russian news agencies.

Saboteurs blew up a bridge in the Samara region. It was used for transportation of ammunition.

According to Russian media, the cause of the explosion was an improvised explosive device. Unknown persons tried to detonate the support of the bridge over the Chapaevka River,… pic.twitter.com/exzhyUoSPs

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 4, 2024

UKRAINE BLOWS UP RUSSIAN RAILWAY BRIDGE

Ukraine said it blew up a railway bridge in Russia’s southwestern Samara region on Monday because it was being used to transport “military cargo”.

The incident is the latest in a string of explosions targeting Russia’s rail network, which Kyiv says Moscow uses to move troops and equipment for its invasion of Ukraine.

“A railway bridge over the Chapaevka River in Russia’s Samara region was blown up. On 4 March 2024, at around 6:00 am (0200 GMT), the bridge was damaged by blowing up its support structures,” Ukraine’s military intelligence said.

Russia was using the railway line to transport ammunition from a plant in the town of Chapayevsk, it said.

“Given the nature of the damage to the railway bridge, its use will not be possible for a long time,” it added.

RUSSIAN DRONE ATTACK KILLS CHILDREN, BABIES

A Russian drone strike on the port city of Odesa in Ukraine has killed 12 people, with five of them confirmed to be children, including two babies less than a year old.

The drone hit an apartment block early on Saturday morning, partially destroying several floors and leaving more than a dozen people under the rubble.

Rescuers were still pulling bodies from the rubble on Sunday evening, more than 36 hours after the strike, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the search and rescue operation had been called off.

Medics nearby the wreckage in Odesa, during the aftermath of Russia’s latest drone strike. Picture: AFP

Two of the latest bodies found were an eight year-old girl and her older brother.

Odesa region governor Oleg Kiper wrote on Telegram that the deaths caused “unspeakable grief” for all of Ukraine.

Mr Zelenskyy called for the world to help Kyiv defeat “Russian evil” as the death toll continued to rise.

“So far, 10 people have died, including three children: Mark, who was not even three years old, Yelyzaveta, eight months old, and Timofey, four months old. Ukrainian children are Russia’s military targets,” Mr Zelenskyy said on Sunday in a post on Telegram.

A local resident, wrapped in a blanket to protect from the cold, sits in front of a heavily damaged multi-story apartment building, following a Russian drone attack in Odessa. Picture: AFP

Rescuers work at a heavily damaged multi-story apartment building, following a Russian drone attack. Picture: AFP

Rescuers carry a body at the site of a heavily damaged multi-story apartment building following the drone attack. Picture: AFP

People react as they lay flowers in front of toys displayed outside a multi-story building heavily damaged in Odessa amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture: AFP

Mr Zelenskyy said 215 emergency responders had taken part in an ongoing search and rescue operation in Odesa.

As delays to a crucial $US60-billion aid package from the United States has left Kyiv facing ammunition shortages, Mr Zelenskyy said the attack showed the importance of supporting Ukraine.

“We must win this war,” he said. “Every Russian loss at the front is our country’s response to Russian terror. The world must respond to every manifestation of Russian evil and repel Russia’s actions.”

- with AFP