As of: March 6, 2024, 2:34 p.m
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi, Sonja Thomaser, Nail Akkoyun, Franziska Schwarz
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Press
Split
The wiretapping affair continues to trigger reactions in Russia.
Now Lavrov's spokeswoman spoke out and attacked the air force officers.
The news ticker.
Pistorius
speaks on PK: “We must not fall for Putin”
Debate about
wiretapping scandal
: SPD parliamentary group leader rejects Union demands for a committee of inquiry
Wiretapped conversations
about
Taurus
: Violation of security rules by the Bundeswehr?
Update from March 6th, 2:25 p.m.:
After the wiretapping scandal in the Bundeswehr, Russia is continuing verbal attacks against the air force officers who were bugged.
Most recently, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the officers were “inglorious bastards” for planning an attack on Crimea.
This was reported by Russian state media.
Zakharova's words are probably a reference to the film “Inglourious Basterds” by director Quentin Tarantino.
The film is about the resistance against the Nazis.
In her statements to Russian media, Zakharova drew a comparison to the atrocities of Nazism on the Crimean peninsula.
“They should remember the terrible deeds of their country,” Zakharova said of the officers.
Update from March 5th, 12:25 p.m.:
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, has warned Germany of an “attack from Russia” regarding the Taurus wiretapping affair.
The aim is to “intimidate” German politicians and “confuse” German society, he said in the phoenix daily conversation.
According to the ambassador, “countermeasures” are required here.
Eavesdropping affair probably due to “individual application error”.
Update from March 5th, 10:40 a.m.:
According to the initial investigations, an “individual application error” is responsible for the fact that the conversation of high-ranking Bundeswehr officers about the Taurus weapon system could be intercepted.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said this in Berlin.
The error goes back to the participant who took part in the conversation from Singapore.
Pistorius ruled out the possibility that a Russian spy had dialed into the conversation.
He was “astonished” that such a thesis was openly expressed.
He also said the Bundeswehr's communications systems had not been compromised.
The minister admitted that WebEx was used for communication.
However, it is not the version accessible to everyone, but has additional security precautions.
In addition, the Bundeswehr does not use servers abroad, but rather the servers in its own data centers.
Pistorius spoke of a “perfidious game” by Vladimir Putin to drive a “wedge” into German domestic politics.
Faeser reacts to the wiretapping scandal: “We have further increased protective measures against espionage”
Update from March 5th, 6:35 a.m.:
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has emphasized the defensive readiness of German secret services in view of the Russian wiretapping operation against Air Force officers.
“Putin's propaganda apparatus wants to discredit our state, manipulate opinion formation and divide our society,” the SPD politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
“Putin will not succeed in all of this,” she added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We have further increased our protective measures against espionage and disinformation and are constantly reacting to current developments.” The counter-espionage department at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been significantly strengthened in terms of personnel and technology.
Combating the activities of the Russian intelligence services remains a key focus of counterintelligence.
Update from March 4th, 10:22 p.m.:
The US government has classified the publication of the apparently wiretapped conversation between German officers about the Taurus cruise missile as an attempt by Russia to divide the West.
It was a “blatant and transparent attempt by the Russians to sow discord,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday.
Moscow wants to give the impression that “the West is not united.”
Bundeswehr wiretapping affair: SPD sees no need for an investigative committee
Update from March 4th, 9:02 p.m.:
The SPD currently sees no need for an investigative committee.
“The dimensions of a committee of inquiry are already very high.
The work takes a very long time, and we cannot wait that long if there are consequences,” said the SPD chairman on the defense committee, Wolfgang Hellmich, on the
Phoenix
television station .
The Social Democrat has also currently ruled out any personal consequences.
“No, I don’t expect that,” Hellmich referred to similar statements by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD).
At the moment it is not known how the interception could have come about and we have to wait for corresponding reports, which will then be discussed at a special meeting of the Ministry of Defense next Monday.
The parliamentarians also used appropriate communication platforms for discussions, similar to the officers.
“But when it comes to secrets, then we gather in a tap-proof room in the Ministry of Defense or in the German Bundestag,” said Hellmich.
Update from March 4th, 6:01 p.m.:
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is traveling to Paris this Tuesday afternoon for a working meeting with her French colleague Stéphane Séjourné.
The wiretapping scandal, in which Russia apparently recorded and published a conversation between high-ranking officers in the German Air Force, is also likely to be discussed during the conversation.
The officers had discussed operational scenarios for the German Taurus cruise missile if it were to be delivered to Ukraine.
It is feared that Moscow may have also spied on other security-related information.
“Very disappointed” in Germany because of the wiretapping scandal
Update from March 4th, 4:45 p.m.:
After the Luftwaffe wiretapping affair, former British Chief of General Staff Lord Richard Dannatt said he was “very disappointed” in Germany.
Dannatt told Forces
magazine
, an official publication of the British Ministry of Defense: "I think the German Luftwaffe officers who have spoken about an open line of communication should be heavily criticized." They had openly said that British personnel were in Ukraine .
“It’s not their place to comment,” Dannatt said.
He suspects that the training for the Storm Shadow takes place either in Ukraine or in Poland.
But this should not be commented on, emphasized the ex-army chief.
Baerbock comments on the wiretapping affair: “There can be no perpetrator-victim reversal here”
Update from March 4th, 2:55 p.m.:
After a Russian interception operation against the German Air Force, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock demanded rapid and complete clarification.
At the same time, the Green politician warned at a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Montenegro, Filip Ivanovic, in the capital Podgorica: “As important as it is for us as the federal government to clarify this incident now, the facts are clear.
And there can be no reversal of perpetrator and victim here.” The Federal Foreign Minister emphasized: “If Russia had not brutally attacked this country, then Ukraine would not have to defend itself.
Then we wouldn’t have to supply weapons if this violation of international law hadn’t come from Russia.”
Without directly answering a question about a possible delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles, Baerbock explained that she had made it clear several times that Germany would do everything so that Ukraine could defend its country and millions of people.
“That's why we would have to intensively examine all materials that can be used on this basis.
And from my point of view, the facts are very, very clear.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has spoken out several times against the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles.
“No longer belong to the first league”: Western allies do not trust the BND
Update from March 4th, 2:25 p.m.:
German secret service work is being confronted with new allegations after the wiretapping scandal in the Air Force.
A secret service insider told the
Bild
newspaper that the secret services of partner countries had not trusted their German colleagues for years.
“No one from the CIA or MI5 comes and says openly that we are no longer trusted.
“It’s a gradual process: you’re invited less, you only find out about important meetings on certain topics afterwards,” the insider told the newspaper.
Germany is seen as “secondary and treated as such” in the world of secret services.
Germany no longer belongs to the “first league”.
The reason is “overregulation”.
They would have to “pass on the secret information to courts and committees”.
Ex-BND boss August Hanning also agrees with the insider's assessment: "Instead of supporting or encouraging them, our agents and BND employees have been politically chained more and more for years." The political requirement is " “Risk avoidance”.
Leftists demand more IT security in the Bundeswehr: Schirdewan concerned about “unpredictable situation”
Update from March 4th, 1:45 p.m.:
As a direct consequence of the Taurus wiretapping affair, the Left is calling for computer training for officers and investments in the Bundeswehr's IT security.
“It’s better to invest in IT security than in battle tanks,” said party leader Martin Schirdewan on Monday in Berlin.
He was “extremely surprised” that highly explosive information was being exchanged via insecure systems such as Webex.
In terms of content, Schirdewan said he was “frightened” by the conversation between Bundeswehr officers about the Taurus cruise missile and possible options for use in Ukraine, which was obviously intercepted and published by Russia.
It at least hints that soldiers from Western armies are already deployed in Ukraine, among other things, to help control cruise missiles there.
“If that’s true, that would be absolute madness,” said Schirdewan.
The soldiers would have to be withdrawn immediately.
Otherwise you would be in a “completely unpredictable situation” with an enormous risk of escalation.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) arrives at the start of the Federal Cabinet meeting in the Chancellery.
(Archive image) © Michael Kappeler/dpa
German ambassador “to discuss bilateral issues” in the Russian Foreign Ministry
Update from March 4th, 12:05 p.m.:
The German ambassador to Russia, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, held talks on bilateral issues at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Monday.
“There was an invitation to talk about various bilateral topics,” Lambsdorff told the
German Press Agency
in Moscow.
But it was not a summons, he emphasized.
He did not comment on the specific content of the conversation.
The ambassador thereby contradicted the portrayal of the Russian media.
The Russian state news agency Tass, citing an anonymous source, reported that it was a summons because of the recently published recordings of a phone call by German Air Force officers, intercepted by Russia, about the possible use of Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine.
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, German Ambassador to Russia.
© dpa
Update from March 4th, 10:40 a.m.:
According to Russia, the Bundeswehr recording shows the West's involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
It is unclear whether the Bundeswehr is acting at the behest of the government or on its own initiative, says spokesman for the Russian Presidential Office, Dmitry Peskov.
Peskov continued to speak to journalists in Moscow, according to the Russian news agency
Tass
: “The military's conversation indicates that there are concrete plans within the Bundeswehr for attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation and that they are being specifically discussed.
This requires no legal interpretation, everything here is more than obvious.”
Strack-Zimmermann warns: “Don’t everyone attack each other now”
Update from March 4th, 9:50 a.m.:
In view of the air force wiretapping scandal, FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has called for prudent clarification.
“We have to be a little careful that we don’t all attack each other,” she said on
ZDF
’s “Morgenmagazin”.
“Because that’s exactly what Vladimir Putin wants, that we’re now at each other’s throats, so to speak.”
The background to the wiretapping affair must now be dealt with “calmly” and with “sovereignty,” demanded Strack-Zimmermann.
It is no surprise that Germany is being bugged.
Nevertheless, it is a “small revelation that Russia was listening in”.
“The institutions in the Federal Republic of course have to look very closely to see to what extent we are actually technically prepared for these hybrid attacks,” the FDP politician continued.
Appointment in Moscow “planned for longer”
Update from March 4th, 9:40 a.m.:
According to information from the
German Press Agency
, the German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, arrived at the Russian Foreign Ministry for a conversation that had been planned for some time in advance and was not hastily scheduled just now.
Neither the press office nor the ambassador himself were initially available for comment.
Update from March 4th, 8:30 a.m.:
The Russian Foreign Ministry has apparently summoned the German ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Lambsdorff, in connection with the wiretapping affair.
This is reported by the Russian news agency
Tass
, citing an unnamed insider.
Hofreiter: Counterintelligence has gaps
Update from March 4th, 5:05 a.m.:
After the scandal surrounding a conversation between German Air Force officers that was allegedly intercepted by Russia, the focus is on clarifying the circumstances and the possible consequences.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said he expected the results of the audit of the military counterintelligence service in the first days of the new week.
It is still unclear how Russia was able to gain access to the internal switch.
Security politicians from Ampel and the Union have already called for better security precautions for sensitive communications.
The defense policy spokesman for the Union, Florian Hahn (CSU), told the
Augsburger Allgemeine
that the “immediate question arises about the standards, the equipment and the instructions in the ministry”.
The Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter told the
Rheinische Post
: “It is bitterly apparent that our counter-espionage efforts have gaps.” The chairman of the Bundestag’s European Committee added: “It must be clarified quickly to what extent the Russian secret services’ wiretapping operations are.
At the same time, we must expand our own capabilities to ward off espionage and disinformation.”
Wiretapping scandal: Union requests special session
Update from March 3rd, 6:02 p.m.:
After a lot of criticism from the opposition, the Union has requested a special meeting in the Defense Committee for the coming week.
Chancellor Scholz must take part, parliamentary group leader Johann Wadephul told
t-online.de
: “The Chancellor must explain himself to the representatives of parliament immediately.” Scholz’s previous arguments for deciding against Taurus deliveries are obviously “nonsense”.
“Scholz was either misinformed or deliberately lied.
Neither should happen,” said Wadephul.
Update from March 3rd, 5:10 p.m.:
Pistorius said in his statement that he had no knowledge of further leaks or listening in on further phone calls to the Bundeswehr.
He expects the results of the internal review of the process in the first few days of the new week - according to him, this will include, among other things, whether the right platform was chosen for the content discussed in the published conversation.
The officers connected via the Webex platform.
Pistorius makes it clear in PK about the wiretapping affair: “We must not fall for Putin”
Update from March 3rd, 4:37 p.m.:
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has just appeared in front of the press and commented on the published recording of possible Taurus deliveries.
The SPD politician announced an investigation and possible consequences, espionage must be prevented or made more difficult.
However, he emphasized that the release timing was not a coincidence.
Shortly before, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was buried.
“We must not fall for Putin,” said Pistorius.
Moscow is trying to divide the West.
The Russian propaganda, according to which Germany is preparing for a military conflict with Russia, is completely out of thin air.
But they are preparing for a “hybrid war”, a “disinformation war” against Russia.
Debate about the wiretapping scandal: Mützenich rejects Union demands for a committee of inquiry
Update from March 3rd, 2:58 p.m.:
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich has called on the Union to show moderation in the debate about the air force wiretapping scandal.
“Demanding committees of inquiry is the right of the opposition.
“Nevertheless, one should first wait for the investigations and explanations from the public prosecutor’s office, the Bundeswehr and the services,” Mützenich told the
German Press Agency
on Sunday .
He pointed out that the federal government has promised a quick and comprehensive clarification.
The head of the CSU Bundestag member, Alexander Dobrindt, told
Spiegel
that Chancellor Scholz had to explain himself to the Bundestag.
“In this situation, a committee of inquiry cannot be ruled out,” said Dobrindt.
Wiretapped conversations about Taurus: violation of security rules by the Bundeswehr?
First report:
Berlin – Ukraine has been demanding delivery of the Taurus weapon system for months.
Despite criticism, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is also ruling this out from the ranks of his coalition partners.
He justifies his refusal by saying that Germany could be drawn into the Ukraine war, even leading to direct involvement of the German military.
But now there is the wiretapping affair in the Bundeswehr: The Air Force officers who were intercepted during a conversation about the Taurus cruise missile may have violated the Bundeswehr's security rules.
“There are indications that, given the content that was obviously discussed, an insufficiently secure means of communication was used,” a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Defense told
Bild am Sonntag (BamS)
.
“This is, among other things, the subject of further investigations.”
Since Friday (March 1st), a 38-minute recording of a Taurus phone call has been circulating, in which a conversation between four German officers can be heard.
The recording was distributed
on Telegram by the editor-in-chief of the Russian state broadcaster RT, formerly known as
Russia Today , Margarita Simonyan.
The conversation is about the possible use of German Taurus cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 500 kilometers, by Ukrainian armed forces and their possible effects.
Report on the Taurus wiretapping affair: Officers communicated over an unprotected line
According to media reports, the officers used the Webex platform for the conversation.
According to
BamS
, the Webex session was sent to the soldiers' cell phones via a Bundeswehr office landline.
The newspaper reports, citing security circles, that it is now being examined whether the Webex variant used is approved for the exchange of information at the lowest level of secrecy, “classified information – for official use only,” and how the details mentioned in the meeting are classified.
This is intended to determine how serious the violation of safety rules is.
However, many experts deny that such an automatism exists.
Rather, the Ukrainian armed forces could very well operate and program the cruise missiles themselves.
The head of the Air Force, Inspector Ingo Gerhartz, also took part in the meeting.
(editing with agency material)