Kremlin says German recording shows intent to strike Russia, asks whether Scholz in charge

[March 04, 2024]  MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday a purported recording of German military discussions showed Germany's armed forces were discussing plans to launch strikes on Russian territory, and questioned whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in control of the situation.

Russian media last week published an audio recording of what they said was a meeting of senior German military officials discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand an explanation.

"The recording itself says that within the Bundeswehr, plans to launch strikes on Russian territory are being discussed substantively and concretely. This does not require any legal interpretation. Everything here is more than obvious," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Here we have to find out whether the Bundeswehr is doing this on its own initiative. Then the question is: how controllable is the Bundeswehr and how much does Scholz control the situation? Or is it part of German government policy?" Peskov said.

He said both scenarios were "very bad. Both once again emphasize the direct involvement of the countries of the collective West in the conflict around Ukraine."

Germany has said it is investigating what it called an apparent act of eavesdropping by Russia.

"The incident is much more than just the interception and publication of a conversation ... It is part of an information war that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is waging," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Sunday.

"It is a hybrid disinformation attack. It is about division. It is about undermining our unity."

Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov answers a question during a meeting with journalists in Vladivostok, Russia, in this picture released September 12, 2023. Sputnik/Alexander Vilf/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Germany is among the NATO countries that have supplied weaponry to Ukraine including tanks. Russia accuses what it calls the "collective West" of using Ukraine to wage a proxy war against it; NATO says it is helping Kyiv to defend itself against a war of aggression.

Russia on Monday summoned Germany's ambassador to demand an explanation for the military discussions in the recording. The envoy, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, left the foreign ministry without speaking to reporters after attending the meeting.

It is the second time in the past week that Moscow has pounced on what it sees as evidence of Western intent to attack Russia directly.

After French President Emmanuel Macron floated the possibility that European nations could send troops to Ukraine, allies of Putin said last week that any French troops would meet death and defeat like Napoleon's soldiers who invaded Russia in 1812.

Putin said in a speech last Thursday that Western countries risked provoking a nuclear war if they sent troops to fight in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan, editing by Timothy Heritage)

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.