Bundeswehr wiretapping case: British government reacts cautiously

The Bundeswehr wiretapping case is causing mixed reactions in Great Britain. While the government tends to be evasive, there is also clear criticism. A former minister sees Germany as being penetrated by Russian secret services.

The British government has reacted cautiously to the conversation between Bundeswehr officers about the “Taurus” cruise missile that was apparently intercepted and published by Russia.

“This is obviously a matter for Germany to investigate and they have Chancellor Scholz’s word on this,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman told reporters. Scholz said that it was a very serious matter and that it was now being investigated very carefully, said the spokesman.

Clear criticism of Scholz

British politicians reacted more critically. The conversation highlighted tensions between military officials who wanted to deliver “Taurus” to Ukraine and Scholz, “who seems to be increasingly focused on his political survival and no longer on what is best for the continent,” said the former chairman the Defense Committee in Parliament, the Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, the broadcaster BBC Radio 4.

In contrast to Great Britain, where the prime minister consistently ensures the support of public opinion, the conflict in Germany is seen as a war in Ukraine and not as part of a broader confrontation between Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and the West.

Former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told the Times: “We know that Germany is heavily penetrated by Russian intelligence. This shows that it is neither safe nor reliable.”

Brits appear in recording

Former Army Chief Richard Dannatt demanded on Times Radio that the German Air Force officers involved should be severely reprimanded. “You suggested that there were Brits in Ukraine.” But it is nobody’s business to comment on the presence of British military personnel in Ukraine.

The recording states, among other things, that the British had “a few people on site” in connection with the use of their “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles delivered to Ukraine.

Chancellor Scholz was given a similar interpretation a few days ago. “What the British and French are doing in terms of target control and the accompaniment of target control cannot be done in Germany,” said Scholz. The British then declared that Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow and the target selection process were the responsibility of the Ukrainians.

“Partners view Germany as unsafe”

CDU defense politician Roderich Kiesewetter has already warned of irritation among allies over German mistakes. “Our partners France and Great Britain now view Germany as unsafe because Russia is learning things it should never know,” Kiesewetter told the Rheinische Post.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sees “the entire West, including Germany, as an enemy and a war target,” the CDU politician continued. “This must finally be clear to us.”