The UK and Germany are dismayed that Russian intelligence will now be able “to track and locate, potentially targeting,” vehicles in Europe and on Ukraine’s territory delivering SCALP and Storm Shadow cruise missiles to the Kiev regime, The Times has reported.
After analyzing the transcript and audio of the intercepted conversation involving four senior German military officers that was released by Russia, the publication also voiced alarm over the revealed “operational and targeting details” pertaining to the deployment of British Storm Shadow missiles sent to Kiev.
“I know how the British do it. They always transport them in Ridgback armored vehicles. They have several people on site. The French don't do that. They check with the Ukrainians on the quality of loading SCALP missiles. Storm Shadows and SCALPs have similar technical specifications for their installation. How are we going to solve this problem? Are we going to transfer MBDA missiles to them using Ridgbacks? Will one of our people be posted to MBDA?” German Air Force commander Gerhartz is translated as saying in the leaked conversation.
The intercepted call involved Brigadier General Frank Graefe (department head for operations and exercises at the Air Force Forces Command of the Bundeswehr), General Ingo Gerhartz (Bundeswehr Air Force inspector), and two employees of the Air Operations Command within the Space Operations Center of the Bundeswehr. It has since been confirmed as authentic by Germany’s Defense Ministry.
Another matter that has left the publication rattled is that the leak confirmed the UK military is deployed in Ukraine. The intercepted call mentioned the use of British “people on the ground” in potentially helping Germany deploy Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine amid Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s reluctance to approve the move, The Times underscored.
"We need to consider that they can use aircraft with mounts for both Taurus and Storm Shadow missiles. The British have been there and outfitted aircraft. There is not much difference between the systems, they can be used for Taurus as well," General Ingo Gerhartz had stated.
The outlet singled out the “politically incendiary revelation” that the Bundeswehr representatives sought to use a “ruse” to convince the German public that the “information exchanges” used in targeting for the Taurus missiles would be handled by the manufacturer MBDA.
Overall, the breach, described as a “blunder” by the publication, “will alarm other NATO allies.”
The bombshell leak, coupled with Olaf Scholz's acknowledgment that British and French troops are assisting the Ukrainians with firing SCALP and Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles at Russian targets, has already been dubbed Berlin’s Taurus “fiasco” by German media.
Taurus, Scholz said on February 26, is “a very far-reaching weapon,” and emphasized:
“What is being done in the way of target control and accompanying target control on the part of the British and the French can’t be done in Germany. Everyone who has dealt with this system knows that.” Scholz further stated that “German soldiers must at no point and in no place be linked to targets this (Taurus) system reaches."
Olaf Scholz has repeatedly voiced his opposition to supplying the Kiev regime with long-range Taurus cruise missiles, arguing that the move would risk his country being drawn into the conflict. Earlier, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, citing sources, that Scholz remains opposed to the transfer of the long-range cruise missiles to the Kiev regime. The outlet added that Russia had “turned the tables” on Berlin by publishing the intercepted telephone conversation involving Bundeswehr representatives.