Carmen Valero Berlin

Berlin

Updated Saturday, March 2, 2024-15:20

  • Ukraine-Russia War Macron's idea of ​​sending troops to Ukraine provokes rejection from European allies

This is "a very serious matter that we are going to investigate."

This is how Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated this Saturday after the

leak by Russian state media

of a confidential conversation between senior German military commanders evaluating, among other matters, the possible deployment of German Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine, their operation without support in the terrain and its ability to destroy the Kerch bridge that links Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula.

The 30-minute recording has put the

Federal Office of the Military Counterintelligence Service (BAMAD)

on alert since its analysts consider it real.

The content is explosive.

In the meeting, with the participation of air force inspector Ingo Gerhartz in preparation for a briefing for the Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, they discussed whether Ukraine could carry out the use of the Taurus without the support on the ground from German specialists.

It is a crucial issue, as that is one of the reasons why Scholz refuses to supply the Taurus to Ukraine.

These missiles, with a range of up to 500 kilometers and capable of flying at a height of 35 meters, which is unnoticeable to radars, carry a complex GPS system based on images of the terrain captured around the target to be shot down.

Since target programming varies with each operation, controlled use of the Taurus is only possible if specialists are on site and have updated images.

For Scholz, the presence of military personnel in Germany would mean the country's direct participation in the war.

The recording, however, puts the chancellor in a bind.

The generals who appear in the recording assume that the Ukrainian forces, with adequate technical training, could operate them on their own in the hypothetical case that the Government gave the green light to the deliveries.

This allows two conclusions to be drawn: Scholz refuses to hand over the Taurus because he does not trust that Ukraine will only use them to defend its territory and that he uses the supposedly necessary presence of German soldiers as justification for his refusal, or that he is playing

a double game

.

But in the audio there is more.

German senior commanders comment that the British have "some people on the ground" in relation to the deployment of their Storm Shadow cruise missiles delivered to Ukraine, which will undoubtedly

deepen the anger that London already showed with statements by Scholz

.

"What the British and French do in terms of goal management and support for goal management cannot be done in Germany," said the chancellor.

Scholz did not clarify what exactly he meant by this, but London's reaction to what was considered an indiscretion was immediate.

"Ukraine's use of the Storm Shadow long-range missile system and the targeting process falls within the competence of the Ukrainian armed forces," a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

The audio in question was broadcast by the Russian state television channel RT, after which Moscow has asked the German Government for explanations.

The director of the channel, Margarita Simonyan, did not specify how she obtained those recordings and that is precisely what the German counterintelligence service will have to clarify.

Apparently, the conversation - which according to RT took place on January 19 - did not take place over a secure line, but rather through the WebEx video conferencing platform, while one of the participants connected by mobile phone.

"If this story is confirmed, it would be a highly problematic event," said the chairman of the Bundestag's parliamentary control group, Konstantin von Notz, who has also called for

an investigation

.

"The question arises here whether this is a one-off incident or a structural security problem. I hope that all the background information will be clarified immediately."

Roderich Kiesewetter, vice president of the Bundestag's Intelligence Control Commission,

suspects that the material intercepted by Russia goes beyond the audio

now released.

"Russia is demonstrating the extent to which it uses espionage and sabotage in the context of hybrid warfare to influence decisions, discredit people and manipulate them," he declared.

As for Russia's current allegation, Kiesewetter believes the conversation was leaked deliberately and with a specific intent at this time.

"This can only be to prevent a Taurus delivery from Germany."

He said Russia wanted to deter Scholz by "publicly showing the extent to which Russia has already clarified Germany's preparations for the decision."