By Xiaofei Xu and Sophie Tanno, CNN
(CNN) — Germany says it will investigate after a recording leaked of a conversation between several top-ranking German officers on the country’s Ukraine war strategy.
During the conversation, posted online by the head of Russia’s state-backed RT channel, Margarita Simonyan, air force officers discuss the possible delivery of Taurus weapon systems to Ukraine as well as the potential targeting of the Kerch Bridge, which connects the annexed Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the leak a “very serious matter.”
A spokesperson of the German Defense Ministry confirmed to CNN the recording was authentic.
The audio discussion centers around providing air force support for the delivery of long-range Taurus missiles, as well as how the systems could be used by Ukraine, with one officer speaking of a “long” and “short” path to implementation.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius suggested a certain “choreography” in the incident, referring to to the date that the audio was leaked – on Alexey Navalny’s funeral – as well as comments from Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin.
Medvedev, known for using inflammatory language, alleged that the 38-minute long conversation showed that Germany was preparing war against Russia.
Pistorius also alleged the release of the hack was part of a Russian campaign to destabilize confidence.
Germany has been resisting sending the Taurus system to Kyiv, fearing they could be used for attacks on Russian territory.
Officers can be heard discussing the potential targeting of the Kerch bridge using Taurus missiles, with one stating that the Taurus has the potential to reach the bridge despite it being a difficult target, as well as ammunition depots.
Moscow said it was seeking answers over the recording.
The audio has caused alarm among German politicians.
Roberich Kiesewetter of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) told public broadcaster ZDF that a “number of other conversations will certainly have been intercepted” and could be leaked at a later date, Deutsche Welle reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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