Berlin: Germany’s defense minister revealed on Tuesday that a conference call involving a German military officer was compromised by Russian hackers after the officer joined using an unprotected phone line from a hotel in Singapore.
The leaked audio tape, exposing discussions among four senior German air force officers speculating on Ukraine’s potential use of Taurus long-range cruise missiles against a Russian invasion, has exacerbated tensions between the two nations and brought embarrassment to the German government.
During a briefing in Berlin on the preliminary findings of the investigation, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated, “Not all participants adhered to the secure dialing procedure as intended.”
Pistorius disclosed that the officer in question, unnamed, had participated in the Singapore Airshow, attended by high-ranking military officials from Europe, and then connected to the WebEx call using either a mobile phone or the hotel’s Wi-Fi, rather than a secured line as required for such calls.
“The Russian secret services considered it a significant discovery… Targeted hacking occurred in the hotels used across the board,” Pistorius remarked. “It must therefore be presumed that access to this conference call was a chance occurrence as part of a broad, scattered approach.”
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While the investigation continues, Pistorius noted increased security measures and mentioned the consideration of preliminary disciplinary actions, although severe personal consequences were unlikely.
“I will not sacrifice any of my best officers to Putin’s games, to put it very clearly,” he emphasized, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The 38-minute audio leak, shared by Margarita Simonyan, chief editor of the Russian state-funded television channel RT, on social media coincided with the funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died under mysterious circumstances two weeks prior in an Arctic penal colony. The leak also surfaced just weeks before Russia’s presidential election.
Although German authorities have not disputed the authenticity of the recording, Chancellor Olaf Scholz asserted last week that providing weapons to Ukraine was not an option, expressing reluctance for Germany to be directly involved in the conflict.
In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday issued vague threats of “dire consequences” to Germany regarding the leak, without further elaboration.
Tensions between the two nations have been escalating since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
In the leaked audio, four officers, including the head of Germany’s air force, Ingo Gerhartz, discussed deployment scenarios for Taurus missiles in Ukraine before a meeting with Pistorius.
The officers indicated that early delivery and rapid deployment of Taurus missiles would necessitate German soldiers’ involvement. While training Ukrainian soldiers for Taurus deployment was feasible, it would require several months.
The recording also revealed that the German government had not approved the delivery of the sought-after cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Pistorius acknowledged the severity of the damage caused by the leak but emphasized the need to refocus on more critical tasks, such as supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.
There has been ongoing debate in Germany about supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine, although Scholz clarified last week that Germany would not be providing them. With military aid from the United States facing delays in Congress, Germany has become the second-largest military aid supplier to Ukraine after the US, and it plans to increase its support this year.
Pistorius underscored that while the content of the leaked audio was “manageable” in terms of damage, Russia’s success lay in setting the agenda for discussions in Germany with the leak, aligning with Putin’s objectives.
