Germany’s armed forces have been slammed for accidentally leaking British secrets to Russia in one of the country’s most severe security slip-ups since the Cold War.
The “very serious” leak saw Ingo Gerhartz, the head of the Luftwaffe, discussing Western military assistance to Ukraine with other air force officers via mobile phone – which Russian intelligence promptly intercepted.
The call – which one general joined from a Singapore hotel room phone – covered how British and French officials were outfitting Ukrainian forces with Storm Shadow missiles, and detailed both UK troop placements and German weapons delivery plans in Ukraine.
In a major blow to British secrecy, Gerhartz said: “If we’re asked about delivery methods. I know how the British do this – they always transport them in Ridgeback armoured vehicles. They have several people on the ground.”
Luftwaffe head Ingo Gerhartz (inset) is under fire from Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the "very serious" leak to Russia
Reuters/Wikimedia Commons
Brigadier General Frank Graefe, reportedly also on the call, said “the right course of action” would be for the UK to “take over” the training of Ukrainian troops from Germany.
Graefe continued: “Just imagine the uproar if the media were to find out.”
One participant on the call, hosted on commercial videoconferencing service Webex, suggested sending more information over WhatsApp in what could amount to another security breach.
Roderich Kiesewetter, German MP and former army officer said a Russian spy could have simply joined the call – recordings of which were subsequently broadcast on Russian TV.
Kiesewetter said the leak “may be a Russian attempt to steer the public debate away from the Wirecard revelations and the funeral of Alexei Navalny”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered an investigation into the incident, describing it as “very serious”.
British figures were swift to condemn the leak – MP Bob Seely said Germany was “incredibly complacent”, while former defence minister Alec Shelbrooke called it an “amateur blunder”.
Graefe’s claim UK forces were “on the ground” in Ukraine comes after dire warnings by Vladimir Putin of “tragic” consequences for any direct Nato intervention at a Moscow rally this week.