The spokeswoman of the German Ministry of Defense has confirmed on Saturday that a secret conversation of the German air force about Ukraine has been intercepted.
"According to our estimates, an air force conversation has been intercepted. Currently, we cannot say whether some parts of the version that is circulating on social networks have been changed", said this spokeswoman for the AFP news agency.
The head of Russia's state-backed RT TV channel, Margarita Simonyan, released a 38-minute audio recording on Friday, saying German officials were heard discussing strikes against Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia on 2014.
In the recording, discussions are heard about the possibility of Ukrainian forces using the German Taurus missiles and their potential impact. There are also discussions about targeting with missiles some targets such as a bridge that connects Crimea with Russian land, through the Strait of Kerchi.
Experts consulted by Der Spiegel magazine have said they believe the recording is authentic.
Kiev has been asking Germany for some time to send Taurus missiles, which can hit a target up to 500 kilometers away. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has refused to hand over such missiles, fearing an escalation of the conflict. /REL
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