According to a leaked top-secret call involving German air force officers, British soldiers are actively assisting Kyiv's forces in Ukraine fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
The Kremlin remarked that the leak showcased the direct participation of the “collective west” in the Ukrainian conflict, while former British defense ministers voiced frustration with the German military following the disclosures.
Published on Friday by Margarita Simonyan, the editor of the Kremlin-controlled news channel RT, the audio recording—validated as authentic by Germany—captures Luftwaffe officers deliberating on the potential utilization of Berlin's Taurus missiles to attempt to destroy the Kerch Bridge linking Russia with occupied Crimea.
In the discussion, Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, the head of the Luftwaffe, outlines how Britain collaborates with Ukraine to deploy Storm Shadow missiles against targets located up to 150 miles behind Russian lines.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked that the leaked conversations underscore the direct engagement of the collective west in the Ukraine conflict. However, on Sunday, Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, accused Moscow of conducting “an information war” against the west.
There is apparently no doubt about the authenticity of the 38-minute conversation, which occurred a fortnight ago on the relatively insecure Webex platform. It seems to have been compromised and recorded by Russian actors who then handed it over to the editor of RT for release on Telegram last Friday.
Britain acknowledged the presence of a limited number of personnel in Ukraine last Tuesday, though it refrained from specifying their tasks. There are concerns that any potential combat engagement could be viewed as escalatory by Moscow.
The British confirmation followed a sudden announcement by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last Monday, when he stated that Germany would not supply Taurus missiles to Ukraine. This decision was based on the requirement for German personnel to match the involvement of British and French forces, particularly in target control and accompanying roles.
Scholz cautioned that such engagement could potentially involve Berlin in the conflict, even if the soldiers were stationed within Germany.
