German Military Leak Becoming Massive Headache for West

An audio recording of a conversation between high-ranking German military officers on security topics concerning Russia and Ukraine was published by Russian media on Friday.

The publication of German military officers' conversations about possible strikes on the Crimean Bridge has hurt the position of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, undermined Ukraine’s prospects of getting Taurus missiles, and showed the superiority of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a Politico article.

"After so many years as Russia's leader, Putin is still a master spy at heart. There is no greater pleasure than outwitting Russia's adversaries," the article said.

"Nothing on the tape is manipulation. That's why it's so powerful: it's not disinformation, it's just information revealed," the article summarized.

The leaked recording revealed “the institutional frustration of the German military.” Opposition politicians may launch an investigation into why Scholz doesn’t intend to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, but it could take months to finish. This makes it even more unlikely that Kiev will get these weapons, the article concludes.

Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT and Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, published a recording of the February 19 conversation between four German military officers on Friday. German news agency DPA reported earlier that the leaked audio recording was authentic.

On Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Taurus missiles, said that the government was investigating the leak.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has requested an explanation from German Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Graf Lambsdorff. The hybrid war waged by the collective West against the Russian people is in full swing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.