Pistorius explains how Bundeswehr officers' conversation about Taurus missiles was leaked
One of the participants joined the online meeting through an "unauthorised channel"
The leak of information about a meeting of senior German Air Force officials from Russian sources was due to an "individual error", Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.
Source. This was reported by the BBC.
According to Pistorius, the information leak occurred because one of the participants in the teleconference took part in it via an unsecured line, which allowed Russian special services to intercept the conversation.
In the recording, four high-ranking German officers discuss the prospect of Ukraine using German-made Taurus cruise missiles to strike the Kerch bridge.
At the same time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly stated that Taurus missiles will not be supplied to Ukraine.
Pistorius said that the officers were talking using a more secure version of the Webex platform installed on German army servers. Webex is an online conferencing and calling software similar to Zoom and Skype.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, he said that one of the participants connected to the meeting through an "unauthorised channel", which led to the leak.
Pistorius confirmed that a disciplinary investigation was underway, but said he did not want to punish those responsible too harshly.
"Personal consequences are not on the agenda at the moment. I will not sacrifice my best officers for Putin's games," he said.
An officer in Singapore, where a military air show was held in late February, joined the call via an unsecured line.
In an interview with the BBC, former British Deputy Defence Secretary Tobias Elwood called the leak "a disgrace to Berlin".
"We need to have serious conversations in diplomatic circles between Germany and Britain, as well as NATO, about the reasons for this situation," he added.
Background. Experts said that the scandal over wiretapping of Bundeswehr officers has reduced Ukraine's chances of receiving Taurus missiles.
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