Not long after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s gaffe concerning the alleged deployment of British and French troops on the ground, Russia has jumped on an alleged audio recording in which German military officials discuss plans for attacking the Kerch Bridge.
In his speech to the Federal Assembly on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that dangerous actions and statements by the West in foreign policy threaten conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization.
Simonyan said that on the day when Scholz vowed that NATO was not participating and would not participate in the Ukrainian conflict, high-ranking German officers were discussing the possibility of attacking the Crimean Bridge in a way that would help avoid consequences for the German authorities.
She also said that in the 40-minute recording the German officers also refer to US and British personnel who “have been directly involved in the conflict for a long time.”
The timing of the public statements about the audio tape gave Russia’s media, politicians and spokespersons a chance to voice their “concern.”
Vladimir Bulavin, head of the defense and security committee of Russia’s upper house of parliament said: “We call on German authorities to immediately conduct a thorough investigation of this conversation and provide explanations to the world community. This is the only way to restore trust and confidence that international norms and principles will be respected.”
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He said the existence of the recording reveals “a growing discord in German society about its foreign policy toward Russia.”
“It may mean that not all of Germany’s nationals support the official course of their government, especially concerning Russia,” and that a considerable part of German society sees Russia as “a major economic and strategic partner rather than as an enemy.”
Maria Zakharova senior spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on her Telegram channel: “I wonder what Annalena Baerbok [Germany's Minister for Foreign Affairs] thinks about this? The German press has a good reason to prove its independence and ask her questions. And our press has an urgent topic for communication with the German Embassy in Moscow.”
Zakharova said that senior Ukrainian intelligence officers had threatened to destroy the Crimean Bridge and that French President Emmanuel Macron said that the EU had agreed to create a “ninth coalition for deep strikes” and to supply medium and long-range missiles to Ukraine.
The speaker of Russia’s lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin said that “the information that has emerged with recordings of discussions by high-ranking German officers about plans to strike the Crimean Bridge… as well as how to do this so that suspicion does not fall on the German Chancellor Scholz, deserves the most serious discussion and response… I also think it is correct to send a demand to the Bundestag to conduct an investigation.”
He said that he planned to raise the issue in the State Duma on March 11. “The fact that the conversation was recorded compels the German leadership to provide an explanation… Does Scholz understand that these actions will require Russia to retaliate?” he said.
“We don't know anything about this content. I don't know if this recording is available,” Peskov said, who then told reporters that he will listen to the recording when it becomes available.
The Kerch Bridge is the largest structure of its kind in Europe and connects the occupied Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland across the Kerch Strait. Russians use the bridge to transport military materiel for their ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv carried out two explosive attacks on the bridge in October 2022 and July 2023, using a truck and naval drones.
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Comments (8)
There is NO AUTHENTIC tape. The russians have created an AI tape, just like they recently did to a Slovakian pro Western politician...Michal Šimečka. The claim was falsely purported to capture him discussing, with a journalist, a plan to manipulate votes at polling stations. As a result, this politician lost.
Margarita, SUKA! 😘
So how did they make or get this supposed recording? If it is indeed legitimate, then many international norms and laws were violated. Germany doesn't need to explain anything, and the people who supposedly support Russia are more than welcome to move there, they won't be missed!!
An obvious attempt to distract attention and the outpouring of grief at the funeral of Alexei Navalny. Fake news with a fake recording? Ukraine has always intended to blow the bridge - and they will.
@Mike, Even Nazi Germany's propaganda was not as poorly fabricated as the Kremlin's, but I guess even Nazi Germany wasn't so drunk on Vodka either.
I always liked watching Sokolov's red choleric face and guessing his blood alcohol level, or the one from his guests with the same or higher red on their faces. I mean, who can complain - to say such nonsense one must be utterly drunk.
I would also really like to hear the recording, which would probably have even worse vocie teaching than Hollywood does when trying to imitage German. Showing us some laughable attempt to find German speaking people to say the lines.
""" international norms and principles will be respected.”"" well well, these rasshist thugs have the nerve to speak about international norms and principle respected
@Lt General Lee Custer VI, jr, Only the Mouth of Sauron, eh, Putin, can speak such words without choking on the hypocrisy.
This Maria person is an insult to every peaceful person on the world who's also called Maria.
Also one of a kind joke to call the Russian military wing defense industry when all they do is attack their neighbours (or Syrians or the few African countries with democratic values) who are not in the EU or in Nato by the count of three. They attack every country because they can't deal with the fact that Moscowitzes would be jealous of the rights and wealth their neighbouring country's citizens would have.
Russia's citizens outside of Moscow and St Petersburg are poor af, steal even toilets from the country they are invading because they don't have even this baseline sanitary equipment, while their government spends all their money on crude oil and weapons.
You can see in Germany what happens to an economy which didn't have to spend on defense. We flourished for decades, none of us ever have to invade another country and steal a stupid toilet to make a turd.
@Jan Enning,
If there was a "like" option, I would uptick you until my finger falls off
As a German myself, I know this is just stupid propaganda but at the same time, I also wish it were true. Russia does not legally own this territory, it is stolen. Since at least 2008 they did everything illegal in the textbook of any "international norms and principles" they so ask for, and by invading Ukraine for over ten years now, 24/7.
The world is handling Putin like they handled Hitler, enabling him and Nazi Germany to bloom in their war industry, and slicing Europe apart piece by piece. When will humans finally learn? To me, Russia is the only axis force to date who got away unpunished.
If we don't act by our values and stand against evil, then we have already forfeited our already overextended stay on this planet. Right now, it feels to me like the siege of Gondor, only that Rohan didn't come to the rescue. Putin is like Sauron, an architect of schemes and lies. How many times have they said they wouldn't invade, and that it was all about Nato? Ukraine even dropped plans of joining, and they attacked anyways.
Complaining about Ukraine striking the banking district of Moscow with drones and call Ukraine a terrorist state while they do it 24/7 on their own choice?
I am also sick of Ukrainian military not being considered the same innocent as civilians. If a person invades my home, kills my children, rapes my woman and sleeps in my dead children's room, am I really losing my "innocence" when defending my home and killing the man? I think not.
It would be nice if it were true, but it isn't because no doubt Semenswallower is lying through her skank teeth.
@Bob Boomhauer, semenswallower? you mean sergay lavrov with his bloathed cheeks to hold everything in?
@Polaksi, You can see in Lavrov's face's count of folds and the angles of his mouth how karma is showing the taxation of lies on the skin.
I just love how he blames "The West" for everything while being at a UN event at his hotel wearing shorts and browsing on his iPhone.
Just because Russia says something does not make it fact. When they say things they often mean the exact opposite. They also tell blatant lies even knowing that we know they are lies (trait termed 'vranyo'). So is anything coming from Putins regime (or putinrump) even worth listening to unless it hints at a new, imminent national security threat ....at this point.....who knows?
Personally I'd rather see Ukraine own one end of the kerch bridge and Georgia (for its past victimization by russia) owning the other side. A bridge connecting two future EU & NATO members.
However if in the interim it needs to come down to strategically thwart continued russia aggression, then so be it.
Can the Ukrainians please be given some USA ATACMS, German Taurus or other suitable long range missiles?