German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has described the publication of an internal conversation between German air force officers by Russia as a "hybrid attack for disinformation."
"It is part of an information war being waged by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," said Pistorius in Berlin on Sunday. "It's about division. It's about undermining our unity. And accordingly, we should react in a particularly level-headed manner, but no less resolutely."
It is now also about "not falling for Putin's tricks," Pistorius said. He added that Putin was attempting to drive a wedge in Germany's domestic politics, which he hoped Putin would not succeed.
The minister stated that he currently has no information about further leaks or eavesdropping on other phone calls.
He expects results of the internal investigation early in the week - including whether the correct platform was chosen for the content discussed in the published conversation. The officers had connected via the Webex platform.
Pistorius assured that appropriate consequences would be drawn promptly after the investigation.
A recording of German air force officers discussing support for Ukraine was published on Friday by a Russian media outlet. The senior air force officers can be heard discussing the theoretical possibilities of a deployment of German Taurus cruise missiles in Ukraine, a sensitive topic.
