Maria Zakharova warned Olaf Scholz’s Germany of unspecified ‘dire consequences’ (Image: GETTY)
Russia has threatened “dire consequences” against Germany as tensions continue to mount over the leaking of a conversation involving high-ranking German military officers, which Moscow claims indicates Berlin is preparing for war.
Meanwhile the German government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is urgently trying to contain the domestic fallout from the controversy, vowing to launch a speedy investigation into how it was possible that such discussions involving its top brass could be intercepted and published.
A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also said all information coming out of the Kremlin needed to be treated “with caution”.
Speaking today, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, without elaborating: “If nothing is done, and the German people do not stop this, then there will be dire consequences first and foremost for Germany itself.”
Also speaking today, a spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin: “It is absolutely clear that such claims that this conversation would prove, that Germany is preparing a war against Russia, that this is absurdly infamous Russian propaganda.”
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Olaf Scholz dismissed Russia’s claims that Germany was preparing for war as ‘absurdist propaganda; (Image: Getty)
German government spokesman Wolfgang Buechner insisted the leak was part of Russia’s “information war” against the West, and that the aim was to create discord within Germany.
The 38-minute recording features military officers discussing in German how Taurus long-range cruise missiles could be used by Kyiv against invading Russian forces.
While German authorities have not questioned the authenticity of the recording, a week ago Mr Scholz said delivering such weapons to Ukraine was not an option – and insisted he did want Germany to be drawn into the war directly.
Relations between Russia and Germany have steadily deteriorated since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
The audio leak was posted Friday by Margarita Simonyan, chief editor of Russian state-funded television channel RT, on social media on Friday, the same day late opposition politician Alexei Navalny was laid to rest after his still-unexplained death two weeks ago in an Arctic penal colony. It also surfaced just weeks before Russia’s presidential election.
In the audio, four officers, including the head of Germany’s Air Force, Ingo Gerhartz, are heard discussing deployment scenarios for Taurus missiles in Ukraine before a meeting with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
Rishi Sunak’s spokesman has said all Kremlin information should be treated with ‘caution’ (Image: Getty)
The officers then state that early delivery and rapid deployment of Taurus long-range cruise missiles would only be possible with the participation of German soldiers – and that training Ukrainian soldiers to deploy the Taurus on their own would be possible, but would take months.
The recording also indicates the German government has not given its OK for the delivery of the cruise missiles sought by Ukraine.
There has been a debate in Germany on whether to supply the missiles to Ukraine as Kyiv faces battlefield setbacks, and while military aid from the United States is held up in Congress. Germany is now the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the US, and is increasing support still further this year.
Mr Scholz’s insistence last week on not giving Taurus missiles to Ukraine came after Germany stalled for months on the country’s desire for Taurus missiles, which have a range of up to 500 kilometres (310 miles) and could in theory be used against targets far inside Russian territory.
Mr Scholz reiterated his stance during a visit at a school in Sindelfingen in southwestern Germany, also today.
Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defence minister (Image: GETTY)
“I’m the chancellor and that’s why it’s valid,” he said regarding his “no” to the delivery of Taurus missiles.
Meanwhile Germany’s ambassador visited Russia’s foreign ministry in Moscow. While Russian media reported that Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff had been summoned by the foreign ministry, the German government said his visit had been planned well before the audio was published.
Germany’s defence ministry tried to downplay the significance of the officers’ conversation in the leak – saying it was merely an “exchange of ideas” before a meeting with the defence minister.
The ministry said it was investigating how it was possible that a conversation involving top German military personnel could be intercepted and leaked by the Russians. It promised to report its findings. Several German media outlets have reported that the officers were in a WebEx meeting when they were taped.
Mr Buechner, the spokesman of the chancellor, said that the German government would also look into how “we can better counter targeted disinformation, especially from Russia”.
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The Kremlin has said it is looking forward to the results of the German government’s investigation.
Press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Mr Scholz said that a fast, complete and effective investigation would be carried out. We hope that we will be able to find out the outcome of that investigation.”
Noting the Russian government’s record of spreading misinformation, Mr Sunak’s spokesman said: “We do have to treat anything coming out of the Kremlin with caution.”
He added: “It is in their interests to sow disunity amongst allies who are seeking to support the armed forces of Ukraine.
“We should not fall into that trap.”
