MOSCOW, March 2 A number of German government departments use for communication the same service used by the military whose conversation was intercepted, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources.
Previously, the DPA agency reported that the previously published conversation between German officers was genuine; high-ranking military personnel used the Cisco WebEx conference call service.
«WebEx is widely used by the military and other sensitive departments of the German government,» the publication said.
According to one unnamed senior official, the incident should be a signal for the authorities to act.
The newspaper, citing politicians and analysts, notes that due to the interception of the conversation, the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine is less likely.
On Friday, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Rossiya Segodnya media group and RT television channel, said that she had obtained an audio recording in which high-ranking officers of the German Bundeswehr discuss “how they will bomb the Crimean Bridge.” According to her, in the audio recording, Bundeswehr officers mention both the US and British military, “casually discussing that these have been directly involved in the conflict for a long time.” Later that day, Simonyan published the text of the conversation, and then the recording itself, judging by them, the conversation was attended by four high-ranking representatives of the Bundeswehr, including the head of the Air Force operations and exercises department, they discussed the possible sending of Taurus missiles to Ukraine and the Ukrainian attack on Crimean Bridge. Among other things, the military is recorded discussing how to install Taurus missiles and train the Ukrainian military to launch missiles across the Crimean Bridge in such a way as not to cross the “red line” and not become obvious participants in the conflict in Ukraine.
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The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in connection with the public conversation between German officers about possible attacks on the Crimean Bridge that the Russian side demands an explanation from Germany. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the situation with the recording of the conversation between German officers, on the one hand, is amazing, but on the other, not, “the face of our NATO colleagues is completely covered in fluff.”
Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev commented on the transcript of the recording of high-ranking German officers about the attack on the Crimean Bridge, saying that the Germans have again turned into sworn enemies of Russia. The scandal with recordings of negotiations between Bundeswehr officers about plans to strike the Crimean Bridge speaks about the true role of Germany in the Ukrainian conflict and completely refutes the statements of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev said earlier.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the EU had agreed to create a “ninth coalition for deep strikes” — supplying Ukraine with medium- and long-range missiles. He also said that France will do everything to prevent Russia “from winning this war.” According to him, the leaders of Western countries have discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, but no consensus has yet been reached.
Shortly after Macron's statements, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Germany would not send its military to Ukraine, and Scholz emphasized that NATO countries as a whole were not going to do this. In addition, the Chancellor again stated that there are no plans to send long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. It also follows from Scholz's words that British and French troops are involved in the deployment of long-range missiles in Ukraine.
Read the full text of the conversation on the website Ria.ru >>>
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