As of: March 6, 2024, 11:53 a.m
By: Simon Schröder
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Pistorius gets into trouble as a result of the wiretapping scandal - as does his much-esteemed air force inspector.
But the top general should stay.
Berlin – After the Bundeswehr wiretapping scandal, one man is in focus.
Of all people, the Luftwaffe's “Top Gun” general, as Der
Spiegel
dubbed him, is involved in the affair.
Ingo Gerhartz, also known as “Boss”, is an inspector of the Air Force and has been crucial to the modernization of the Air Force to date.
The fact that he of all people was bugged by the Russian secret service seems unfortunate.
Taurus discussion intercepted by the Russians: Pistorius is sticking with top general Gerhartz
Despite the high international explosiveness, Boris Pistorius (SPD) has not yet drawn any personal consequences from the Bundeswehr wiretapping scandal.
The defense minister said that the people involved would remain in their positions for the time being.
The officers involved, including Gerhartz, discussed a possible Taurus delivery from Germany to Ukraine in an inadequately encrypted telephone conference.
In order to brief the Defense Minister, the officers discussed possible areas of application for the Taurus system.
The Crimean Bridge was also theoretically considered as a possible target.
The wiretapping scandal involving Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz (left) is also putting Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in trouble.
© Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert
The conversation has been causing a stir for days.
Because Russia obtained a recording - and published it on state TV.
Although no information was discussed that was not already public, the Kremlin used the opportunity to declare Germany a warring party and use the recording as a propaganda tool.
Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov saw the published recordings as direct evidence that Germany and the West were explicitly involved in the Ukraine war, as the
Tagesschau
reported.
Bundeswehr wiretapping scandal: “Top Gun” general involved in Taurus leaks
According to the
editorial network Germany,
preliminary disciplinary investigations have been initiated against those involved, but no proceedings have been initiated.
And Pistorius would willingly play into Vladimir Putin's hands by firing Gerhartz.
In addition to comprehensive modernization of the Air Force, which receives a large part of the 100 billion special funds, the “Top Gun” general is also an active Tornado pilot and has been able to get the Eurofighter largely back into shape since his promotion to Air Force Inspector in 2018.
In a press conference on March 5, Pistorius said: “Our certified means of communication are fundamentally safe if all requirements are applied correctly.
There is no doubt about that.” An application error would have compromised the conversation, said the minister.
And Pistorius stressed that he would “not sacrifice any of my best officers to Putin’s games.”
(SiSchr)