Russia’s publication of an unsecured conversation with German generals is a thorn in the side for Berlin, but it resonates with its European allies. It highlights Ukraine’s dire need for anti-aircraft defenses, since German generals were raising the issue of delivering long-range Taurus missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again asked his allies for weapons supplies on Saturday afternoon, after strikes on Odessa.
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These Taurus missiles, mentioned by the four generals of the Luftwaffe, represent a real point of contention for Berlin with kyiv and other European capitals. Especially since these Taurus missiles would be a game changer in the involvement of allies alongside Ukraine: their range is 500 km, which would put Moscow within range of Ukraine.
But by publishing these supposed wiretaps, the Kremlin is putting obstacles in the way of the German federal coalition for possible Taurus deliveries, reports our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet.
On the other hand, many allies already delivering anti-aircraft systems, including Germany with its Iris-T missiles, but they only have a range of 40km. And the Taurus issue is not going to change the delivery schedule, because there are already open flows to Ukraine for the Franco-British Scalp, for the Norwegian Nasams missile batteries or for the Patriot anti-aircraft missiles manufactured in the United States. United.
In total, 1,000 of them were purchased in January by a coalition of eight NATO countries including the Netherlands, Spain and Romania but also Germany. Proof, according to the allies, that their commitment to kyiv will remain constant.
“ A storm in a glass of water »
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised an investigation “ very thorough », two days after the broadcast by Moscow. But for Guillaume Ancel, this affair “ is a storm in a glass of water “. A former French officer and writer, he ensures that these revelations will not compromise relations between the allied countriesnor alter their confidence in Germany.
According to Guillaume Ancel, the real problem in this affair is not the content of the discussions, but the security flaws of the German army
For this former officer and author of Saint-Cyr, at the Grande Muette school at Flammarion, the recording does not contain any compromising revelation, but that it reflects the intentions of Russia, which revealed these wiretappings.
According to Guillaume Ancel, these leaks demonstrate that “Putin’s Russia is quite worried about the mobilization of Europe in relation to the war in Ukraine”
A conversation intercepted during a videoconference?
For the moment, we do not yet know how Russia was able to intercept this conversation between soldiers, but some information is starting to leak out and it is rather embarrassing for the authorities in Berlin. According to some sources, a Russian participant was able to connect to the videoconference and obviously no one noticed, explained Roderich Kiesewetter, conservative opposition MP to the first TV channel Ard.
This former general does not understand how an exchange on such a sensitive subject could have taken place via Webex, a consumer application. But the opposition is not the only one to step up. For Green MP Konstantin von Notz, a member of the ruling coalition, this espionage affair illustrates Moscow’s desire to destabilize kyiv’s allies.
According to this MP, Russia is trying to divide and instill doubt in the German population. An opinion shared by Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. For this liberal MP, Moscow’s intention is quite clear: Russia seeks to intimidate Chancellor Olaf Scholz so that he maintains his position not to deliver Taurus missiles.
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