Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius described the leaked conversation on Sunday as part of Russia’s “information war” against the West aimed at sowing discord within Germany.
Russian state media published audio recordings on Friday in which German military officers could be heard discussing support for Ukraine, including the potential use of Taurus missiles.
It is part of an information war that Putin is waging. There is absolutely no doubt about that. It is a hybrid attack aimed at disinformation. It is about division. It is about undermining our resolve.
In the 38-minute recording, military officials discuss how Ukraine could use the Taurus long-range cruise missiles. The audio was leaked during a debate in Germany on whether to supply the missiles.
Kyiv has asked for them as it is facing setbacks on the battlefield after two years of war, while military aid from the United States lingers in Congress.
Scholz stated earlier this week that he still did not want to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, pointing to the risk of direct German participation in the war. Pistorius claimed that in the published recording, officers were indeed considering various scenarios, but it did not mean a “green light” to transfer Taurus missiles to Kyiv.
