As of: March 2, 2024, 5:23 a.m
By: Jens Kiffmeier, Bedrettin Bölükbasi
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Dmitri Medvedev (back) and Vladimir Putin (archive photo) © Mikhail Metzel/www.imago-images.de
The recording of an alleged conversation between high-ranking German soldiers provokes angry reactions from Russia.
Pistorius has the incident investigated.
Update from March 1st, 8:33 p.m
.: The allegations from Russia have consequences: After the allegations from Russian propaganda TV, the German Ministry of Defense has initiated an investigation.
It is being checked whether communications in the Air Force area have been intercepted.
The ministry confirmed this to the
dpa
news agency .
“The Federal Office for the Military Counterintelligence Service (BAMAD) has initiated all necessary measures,” said a spokeswoman.
Russian media had previously reported on a possible wiretapped conversation.
In it, Bundeswehr officers can be heard discussing the theoretical possibilities of using German Taurus missiles on the Crimean bridge.
The German ministry initially did not comment on whether the conversation actually took place or whether it was a targeted propaganda campaign by the Kremlin.
Putin propagandist publishes alleged recording: Bundeswehr is said to have discussed Crimean attack
First report
: Moscow – On Friday (March 1st) Russia launched a new propaganda attack against Germany.
The editor-in-chief of state broadcaster
RT
and a well-known Kremlin propagandist, Margarita Simonyan, claimed that she had a recording of a conversation between high-ranking German soldiers.
The regime of Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is relying on this to once again brand Germany as a “war party”.
Former President Dmitri Medvedev even calls for “death” for Germans.
The trigger is a message from Simonjan on her channel on the short message service Telegram.
In it, the propagandist claims she received an “interesting” recording of a 40-minute conversation between high-ranking German soldiers.
The conversation on February 19th was about attacks on the Crimean Bridge with Taurus cruise missiles and the alleged direct involvement of Great Britain and France in the clashes, which the German soldiers would admit.
The recording also said that Ukraine could be supplied with 100 Taurus missiles in two shipments.
Kremlin boss Putin and RT boss Simonyan at an awards ceremony in Moscow in December 2022 © Mikhail Klimentyev/Imago
Later, the Russian state news agency
Ria Novosti
published a full version of the alleged conversation that was said to have taken place between German Air Force commander Ingo Gerhartz and other German Air Force soldiers.
There is no independent confirmation.
Much more information about the alleged recording appears exclusively on Russian propaganda channels and state sources.
The propaganda continues: Bundeswehr representatives are said to have discussed technical details about a possible Taurus delivery to Ukraine as well as the duration and preparations for an attack on the Crimean Bridge.
They are also said to have discussed how to make use of Britain's experience in using Storm Shadow missiles.
Russian state media claimed that the Bundeswehr had not responded to inquiries about the alleged recordings.
Putin's regime reacts to alleged recording: Medvedev quotes "Death" poem from World War II
Close confidants of Putin reacted immediately to the publication by the Russian propaganda media.
Former head of state Medvedev in particular found harsh words.
“The eternal enemies, the Germans, have become our archenemies again,” he wrote on Telegram.
Based on the alleged conversation, he said claims about Germany's non-involvement in the Ukraine war were false.
“How can you respond to this diplomatically?
“I don’t know,” said Medvedev.
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But there is no better way to respond than with the words of the Soviet poet Konstantin Simonov, explained Medvedev, who quoted the poet's poem “Kill Him.”
In 1942, Simonov used this poem to call on the Russian people to kill Wehrmacht soldiers.
“So kill at least one!
So kill him as soon as possible!
No matter how many times you see him, kill him as many times!” were the lines that Putin’s confidant took from the poem.
He concluded his message with a message based on the Second World War: “And again the reputation from the time of the Great Patriotic War became relevant.
Death to the German-fascist occupiers!”
Alleged recording of German soldiers: “This is direct participation in the war”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke of a “hybrid war” against Russia that was “in full swing.”
“The modern German leadership refers to the experiences of the Third Reich!
Yes, they have already gone crazy!” she also wrote on Telegram.
Reason for this statement: In the alleged conversation, Air Force Chief Gerhartz is said to have said that the current German Air Force uses “much more modern technology than our good old Air Force.”
The deputy speaker of the Russian Federation Council and senator, Konstantin Kosachev, called for “serious consequences” for Germany and spoke of a “scandal”.
Similar to Medvedev, Karasin also said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz's (SPD) statements about Germany's non-participation in the war were refuted when the alleged conversation emerged.
“This is direct participation in the war,” said the Russian senator.
Eventually the German officers would admit this.
He called for a “comprehensive” response from German authorities.
The head of the Russian International Affairs Committee in the Federation Council, Grigory Karasin, accused Germany of “hypocrisy” based on Simonyan’s publication.
On the one hand, Germany states that it does not want to supply Taurus rockets and is not taking part in the war.
On the other hand, all of this is being discussed in the background, says Karasin.
Therefore, it is also a “lie” that NATO is not involved in the conflict and that this will never happen.
Russian propaganda: Putin's additional front in the war against Ukraine
Simonyan herself had indirectly called for an attack on Germany in her original post - again with a hidden reference to World War II: “Isn't it time we showed them how it ended for Germany the last time, as Russian bridges exploded?”
Simonyan regularly appears on Russian state television together with presenter Vladimir Solovyov, known as the “Voice of Putin”.
There are always crude statements and the creation of factually incorrect theses as well as conspiracy theories that are intended to support the propaganda front of the Russian war in Ukraine.
(bb)