German Defense Minister: Eavesdropping on German officers is part of Putin's media war

The German Defense Ministry confirmed on Saturday that a secret conversation had been intercepted in German airspace.

In the conversation, leaked on social media by the head of Russian state broadcaster RT, German Air Force officers discuss the theoretical possibilities of deploying German Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine.

Luftwaffe Inspector Ingo Gerhartz was among those who took part in the conversation. He is responsible for the readiness of personnel and materials in the Air Force.

The conversation is said to have been in preparation for Pistorius' briefing.

“This is about using this recording to destabilize and make us uncomfortable,” Pistorius said when he commented on the scandal for the first time on Sunday.

He added: – I hope that Putin will not succeed.

Watch the video: – Maybe it's similar

Report: Officers used an unencrypted line

In a report carried by German news agency DPA, it was said that the exploited officers were vulnerable because they did not use an encrypted line to make the call.

Article continues below adArticle continues below ad

Sources told the agency that the discussion took place on Webex, an American platform developed for online conferencing.

– There are indications that a means of communication was used that was not secure enough given the content that was apparently produced. This is one of the questions being investigated, a German Defense Ministry spokesman tells Bild newspaper.

The security level of the issues raised is still under investigation.

Article continues below adArticle continues below ad

Authorities will also try to clarify whether the version of Webex that was used was at all allowed to exchange information at the lowest security level, the report said.

(The article continues below the image)

Schultz: Very serious

German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz promised a quick investigation after the conversation between German officers leaked. Schultz describes the matter as very dangerous.

Article continues below ad

In the leaked conversation, Luftwaffe officers discuss the theoretical possibilities of deploying German Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine.

The audio recording also contains a diplomatically sensitive reference to the British having “a few people on the ground” in Ukraine in connection with the deployment of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the country.