Following leaked Ukraine war audio scandal, Scholz vows probe
5 Min Read
Russian media have recently revealed a leaked recording of German officials discussing operational and targeting details of the Taurus long-range missiles.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives at the St. Damaso courtyard ahead of his private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on March 2, 2024. (AP)
In a massive embarrassment for Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a complete investigation on Saturday after what looked to be a recording of classified army meetings on the Ukraine war was broadcast on Russian social media.
The German Bundeswehr was planning to destroy the Crimean Bridge, the same one Ukraine admitted to bombing, with possible involvement from US and British troops - or so claims the editor-in-chief of Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, citing a nearly 40-minute leaked audio she says she possesses.
Simonyan went on to submit official inquiries to German diplomatic figures, seeking clarification about the issue that would impact Russian-German relations, as well as NATO's involvement in the Ukraine war.
The leak, which is 38 minutes long and dated February 19, reveals officers discussing the operational and targeting details of the homegrown Taurus long-range missiles, which Germany was mulling sending to Ukraine. Interestingly, the way it was being discussed insinuated that it had already been agreed upon.
The officers were also discussing means of maintaining plausible deniability so that Germany could tread as closely as possible to the "red line" of direct involvement without crossing it.
During his trip to Rome, Scholz told reporters the matter was "very serious" and was being investigated "carefully, very intensively, and very quickly."
The German Welt newspaper said Friday evening that the audio, currently making its rounds throughout the Bundeswehr, was currently "classified as authentic" after it was closely examined.
Der Spiegel also came out as saying the recording was "classified as authentic" and that "according to an initial assessment, AI-supported counterfeiting is largely ruled out."
As German counterintelligence immediately began investigating the audio, the German Defense Ministry refused to address its contents, though it noted that the military was "checking whether communications within the Air Force were intercepted."
'Highly problematic event'
Tino Chrupalla, a co-chair of Germany's far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), warned on Saturday that Germany could be drawn into the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev if it proceeds with the transfer of its Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
German lawmakers voted last week against a motion presented by the opposition to supply Kiev with long-range Taurus missiles, two years into the ongoing war.
Green party politician Konstantin von Notz told the RND broadcaster that "if the story turns out to be true, it would be a highly problematic event."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed that the leak is proof Ukraine and its supporters "do not want to change their course at all, and want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield."
Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, remarked that if Germany did not "promptly" provide an explanation for the talks, this would be considered "an admission of guilt."
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram that the Germans have "again turned into our sworn enemies."
Roderich Kiesewetter of Germany's opposition conservatives warned that other tapes may be exposed, telling German media outlet ZDF that "a number of other conversations will certainly have been intercepted and may be leaked at a later date for Russia's benefit."
He speculated that the conversation may have been "deliberately leaked" to prevent the delivery of Taurus missiles by Germany.
What is the Taurus missile?
The Taurus missile is launched from a fighter jet, and its warhead, which weighs nearly half a ton, can be used against a fortified target up to 310 miles (about 500 kilometers) away, almost equivalent to the UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
This means that the Taurus missile can hit the Russian capital, Moscow, which is about 450 kilometers away from the border with Ukraine.
Ever since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, Germany has aided Ukraine with Leopard tanks and IRIS-T air defense systems, while Britain and France provided the country with Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles.
Fearing an all-out escalation, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been trying to resist all domestic and foreign pressure to aid Ukraine with the long-range Taurus, although Germany has been the second biggest donor of military assistance to the ex-Soviet nation.
Russia, since 2022, has repeatedly warned the US and its Western allies, including Germany, against partaking in the war, emphasizing that it will defend itself in any way possible. It also stressed that the West and NATO have been playing a direct role by continuously aiding Ukraine with advanced weapons and military equipment.
