German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius accused Russia today, Sunday, of waging an "information war" aimed at creating divisions within Germany. This was his first comment on the release of an audio recording of a meeting involving senior German military officials. Russian media published a 38-minute recording on Friday, in which German officers discussed weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike that Kyiv might carry out on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand clarification. Germany referred to the recording as apparent espionage and stated that it would investigate the matter.
Pistorius said, "The incident is much larger than just intercepting and publishing a conversation... It is part of an information war being waged by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin." He added, "It is a composite attack aimed at misleading. It concerns division. It is about undermining our unity."
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied accusations from other countries of disseminating false or misleading information. A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on social media on Friday, "We ask Germany for an explanation," without providing details about its concerns.
Participants in the call discussed the potential delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly rejected thus far. The officers also talked about training Ukrainian soldiers and potential military targets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed journalists on Saturday, discussing "the cunning plans of the German armed forces, which became clear after the release of this audio recording." Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, stated today that the recording indicates Berlin is preparing to fight Moscow.
