German Defense Ministry admits that Russian eavesdropping on Chancellor Scholz is in doubt
03.03.2024
The German Federal Ministry of Defense admitted yesterday that confidential conversations within the air force regarding the supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine had been eavesdropped. Wiretaps disclosed by Russian media showed that the German Air Force believed that the provision of “Taurus” did not require the entry of German soldiers into Ukraine. This is obviously inconsistent with Prime Minister Scholz’s previous statement.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The opposition coalition party used this incident to question German Chancellor Scholz.In an interview with Der Spiegel, federal parliamentarian Alexander Dobrindt criticizedScholz initially refused to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missilesWhen using a reason that does not conform to the facts. He therefore asked the German Chancellor to give an explanation to the Bundestag and “do not rule out the establishment of a parliamentary investigation committee.” Norbert Röttgen, a senior lawmaker also from the Alliance Party, asked in an interview with the Daily Mirror: “Why can Russian intelligence agencies or higher-level departments cause such serious consequences to the German Chancellor by disclosing the contents of wiretaps?” damage?”
Just at the end of February, Prime Minister Scholz said that if “Taurus” missiles are provided to Ukraine, it is likely to be involved in the war because it will have to send troops to Ukraine.He refused to provide it on this groundA cruise missile with a range that can penetrate deep into Russia。
but nowWiretapping information disclosed by RussiaBut another situation emerged: On February 19, four senior Air Force officers, including German Air Force Director Ingo Gerhartz, held a confidential internal meeting to prepare the next report to Defense Minister Pistorius. Prepare for the report by Boris Pistorius. The meeting, held online, discussed various possibilities for supplying “Taurus” missiles to Ukraine. The four officers believed that if delivery was to be made quickly, German troops must be sent to Ukraine. However, it is also feasible for Ukrainian soldiers to operate this type of missile independently, but their training in Germany may take several months. In addition, the officers also discussed military targets that “Taurus” might attack, including the Kerch Strait Bridge linking the Russian mainland to the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
The “Taurus” long-range cruise missile jointly developed by Sweden and Germany can not only be mounted on the “Typhoon” fighter jets of the German Air Force.The Su-24 and Su-27 fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force can also be mounted.
Confidential meetings were transferred to mobile phones?
The contents of the confidential internal meeting were disclosed by the Russian media “Russia Today”. Now, Germany’s Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) has begun an investigation into the cause of the leak. According to information obtained by the German Press Agency, four senior Air Force officers used WebEx software to conduct online contact meetings. A spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense admitted to the German Radio and Television Network that the top brass of the Air Force did use “an insufficiently secure communication tool.”
“Bild” further pointed out that the WebEx meeting involving the leak was transferred to the officer’s mobile phone through the landline phone of the Ministry of Defense office. Relevant departments are now investigating the level of confidentiality of what was discussed at the meeting. In addition, the Department of Defense is also studying whether WebEx software can be used for at least the lowest level of classified content.
All parties in Germany’s ruling and opposition parties are now calling for strengthening security and confidentiality. Agnieszka Brugger, deputy chairman of the Green Party caucus in the Bundestag, warned that Russia may have other sabotage actions in the coming months. “Recent events have shown that Putin is trying to use disinformation, destabilization, and espionage,” he said. behavior that has a serious negative impact on our open society.”
Konstantin von Notz, a federal member of the Green Party and chairman of the parliamentary intelligence agency oversight committee, also said that it is necessary to find out as soon as possible whether this is just a one-time isolated incident or a systemic problem. “Clearly, a real ‘turn of the century’ is needed for all constitutional agencies as well as the security services, especially given the issue of communications security.”
(Deutsche Guanglian, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, etc.)
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2024-03-03 10:39:04
