Germany’s defense minister said on Sunday that Russia was waging an “information war” aimed at sowing divisions within Germany, his first reaction to Russia’s release of audio recordings of meetings between top German military officials.
Russian media on Friday released a recording of a 38-minute call in which German officers discussed supplying weapons to Ukraine and a possible attack by Kiev on a bridge in Crimea, prompting demands for an explanation from Russian officials.
On Saturday, Germany called it an apparent case of eavesdropping and said it was investigating.
“This incident is not just about intercepting and posting conversations… it is part of an information war, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is launching,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Sunday.
“This is a mixed disinformation attack. It’s about division. It’s about undermining our unity.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied accusations of spreading false or misleading information in the face of accusations from other countries.
“We demand an explanation from Germany,” a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on social media on Friday, without elaborating on its concerns.
The Russian Embassy in Berlin has not responded to an emailed request for comment.
Participants in the call discussed the possibility of sending Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far publicly firmly rejected it. They also discussed the training of Ukrainian soldiers and possible military targets.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Saturday about the “cunning plans of the German armed forces, which became apparent with the release of this recording. This is blatant self-exposure.”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now the vice-president of the Russian Security Council, said on Sunday that the recording showed Berlin was preparing for war with Moscow.
