The Kremlin today accused the West of “direct involvement” in Ukraine after an alleged leak of a telephone conversation between German military officials seemingly confirmed the presence of British troops on the ground in the country.
Berlin has been labeled ‘unreliable’ after a telephone conversation between Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz and senior air force officers was intercepted by Russia.
The discussions, leaked to state-backed broadcaster RT on Friday, appear to include confirmation that British personnel have been deployed to Ukraine and played a role in the deployment of long-range missiles fired at Russian targets.
German officials were also overheard discussing weapons for Ukraine and facilitating a possible attack on a bridge in Crimea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was not clear whether the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, acted on their own initiative or whether this was part of state policy.
But he furiously claimed that the leak “once again highlights the direct involvement of the collective West in the conflict in Ukraine.”
British personnel are reportedly deployed in Ukraine and have played a role in the deployment of long-range missiles fired at Russian targets (File Image)
Britain has denied claims that its troops are on the ground in Ukraine
German Air Force Chief of Staff Ingo Gerhartz was caught on video making the claims
The Kremlin has accused the West of “direct involvement” in the war in Ukraine
The Russian Foreign Ministry has also summoned the German ambassador to demand an explanation of the discussions.
Germany yesterday accused Russia of deliberately trying to destabilize the country with the leak.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: “The point is to use this recording to destabilize and disrupt us.”
He added that he hoped “Putin will not succeed” in his efforts.
The German Defense Ministry said on Saturday it is checking whether a confidential video conference on the war in Ukraine had been tapped after a recording was posted on Russian social media.
But the call is said to have taken place on an unsecured line using WebEx, a commercially available platform, rather than a secure internal military line.
Roderich Kiesewetter, of Germany’s opposition conservatives, warned that more recordings could be leaked.
Germany tries to save face, but Western allies are furious with the country over the leak (File image)
The leak comes as much of the West has tried to lobby Germany to send Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine (File Image)
Britain denied it had any direct involvement in operating the missiles (File image)
“A number of other conversations will certainly have been intercepted and could be leaked at a later date for the benefit of Russia,” he told broadcaster ZDF.
Germany has tried to save face, but Western allies are furious with the country over the leak.
Britain denied that it had any direct involvement in the exploitation of the missiles.
“Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow and its targeted processes are the business of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Former British army chief Lord Dannatt said German air force officers caught making an unencrypted call about British ground operations in Ukraine should be ‘censored quite heavily’.
He told Times Radio: ‘I was very disappointed when I read that story. I think that the German air force officers who spoke in an open line should be quite severely censored, to be honest.
‘They suggest there are British people in Ukraine. It’s not for you or me to comment on that. We have provided them with a lot of equipment. We have done a lot of training.
“As far as I’m concerned, I think they were talking about whether or not they would deliver a German system similar to our Storm Shadow. I suspect we do our training on Storm Shadow, either in this country or in Poland or elsewhere. It is not for you or me to confirm or deny whether there are British soldiers in Ukraine.”
A Ukrainian soldier walks in a trench on the front line with Russian-backed separatists near the town of Krasnogorivka, Donetsk region
A Ukrainian soldier climbs onto a new armored vehicle during a ceremony of military equipping by President Poroshenko to the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the city of Ghytomyr
Lord Dannatt said he would like to see defense spending rise by up to 4%, but he does not expect Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to do so in Wednesday’s Budget.
He said: ‘I’m afraid you cannot escape the fact that there is a brutal war going on in Europe right now, and that we have an absolute duty to support the Ukrainians, and also to ensure that we for our own safety.
‘So it makes defense spending quite strong, in fact, a very strong argument.
‘But I think we will probably all accept that political pressure at home will mean that, despite the strength of the case for more defense spending. And it’s a very strong case. I actually don’t expect the Chancellor to do that on Wednesday.’
He added that there are “very strong arguments to say that we should give more to the Ukrainians and support them more.”
The leak comes as much of the West has tried to lobby Germany to send Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine.
The purchase of German Taurus missiles would give Ukraine a huge boost as Kiev struggles to fend off the Russian invasion.
A rescue worker operates at the site of an apartment building damaged by a Russian drone strike
France and Britain have supplied Kiev with SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, both of which have a range of about 250 kilometers
France and Britain have supplied Kiev with SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, both of which have a range of about 250 kilometers.
But Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that Germany cannot justify matching British and French moves in sending long-range missiles to Ukraine and supporting the deployment of the weapons system.
“This is a very long-range weapon, and what the British and French do in terms of targeting and supporting targeting cannot be done in Germany,” Scholz said, without specifying exactly what he meant.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chairman of the defense committee in the German parliament, said Moscow’s intentions were “obvious.”
Scholz is “warned against” supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine, she said.
“We urgently need to increase our security and counterintelligence because we are clearly vulnerable in this area,” she told media group Funke.