Leak of conversation between German officers is part of Putin's information war – German Defence Minister

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has commented on the scandal surrounding Russia’s interception and leak of a conversation about Ukraine between top-ranking officers of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Tagesschau, which cites the statement by Pistorius

Details: The German minister believes this scandal is part of the "information war" being waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Quote: "This is a hybrid attack whose objective is to spread disinformation, cause a split, disrupt our unity. We must not fall for Putin’s schemes."

Pistorius noted that it is necessary to react calmly "but no less decisively".

He expects to receive information on the investigation by the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) concerning the exact conditions which led to the incident within the next few days. Only then will it be possible to make decisions about the consequences, including personnel changes.

Earlier, Germany’s Ministry of Defence launched an investigation into whether the conversation between the members of the Air Force had been intercepted. According to Russian propaganda, the officers had discussed using Taurus missiles to blow up the Crimean Bridge.

The German Defence Ministry later confirmed that the conversation had indeed been intercepted.

The online conference between senior officers of the German Air Force, which was likely intercepted by the Russians on 19 February, was focused on the preparation of a half-hour-long briefing for German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius about the possibility of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. The officers talk openly, among other things, about what American and British soldiers are doing in Ukraine and discuss the possibility of Ukrainian personnel being trained in Germany to use Taurus missiles.

The scandal has prompted a number of German politicians to urge the Defence Ministry to clarify the situation around the alleged interception and spying in its ranks.

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