Germany blasted over ‘worrying’ leak of British intel to Russia

Ukrainian soldiers taking part in a British training exercise in England last month (Picture: AFP)

Germany’s accidental leak of British military secrets to Russia is ‘worrying on a number of levels’, a Tory MP has said.

Western leaders were embarrassed last week when recordings of a call between the head of the German air force, a general and two senior officers were broadcast by a Russian state TV executive.

They discussed highly sensitive intelligence, including how the UK and France are delivering Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, and the presence of some British ‘people on the ground’ there.

The call was reportedly held on an unencrypted web-based line, using standard office software, rather than a secure military line. It’s not known how Russia intercepted the call but it could have been vulnerable to run-of-the-mill hacking.

Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British army, said he was ‘very disappointed’ by the leak and that the German officers ‘should be censured pretty heavily’.

MP Tobias Ellwood, former chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, on Monday questioned why ‘basic protocols’ appear to have not been followed.

He also said the records ‘revealed a tension’ in the German government over military supplies which Ukraine ‘needs’ and without which could lose the war.

MP Tobias Ellwood said the fiasco ‘revealed tensions’ between German officials (Picture: Shutterstock)

Luftwaffe commander Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz was heard saying ‘no one knows why the federal chancellor is blocking the dispatch of the missiles — this gives rise to all sorts of outlandish rumours’.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Ellwood said there is ‘very public frustration about Germany not matching Britain in sending long range air launch missiles … second only to the frustration in delays over the Americans not sending their 60 billion [dollar] package of support that’s got caught up in congress.

‘So this interception and the leak of military planning discussion is worrying on a number of decibel levels.

‘Firstly, why the obvious, why wasn’t basic concept protocols followed? But it also revealed a tension, I think, between senior German military who want to see Taurus dispatched and the German Chancellor, who seems increasingly focused on his political survival rather than what’s best for the continent. And it’s also how this plays out in Germany.

A call involving Lufwaffe commander Ingo Gerhartz was intercepted by Russia (Picture: Getty)

‘You can see the tensions that are playing out in capital cities as to what we should do next in Ukraine because the tide does seem to be turning unless they receive greater support.

‘They’ve not received the F-16s [jets], they’re not receiving artillery shells that they need, and they’re not receiving the long range weapon systems.’

Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has admitted the breach was ‘very serious’

It’s feared comments made on the call will give Russia crucial clues on Ukraine’s missile operations.

Germany is reluctant to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine (Picture: AP)

Lieutenant General Gerhartz was also heard to say: ‘If it’s a question of doing mission planning, I know how the English do it — they do the whole thing in reach-back.

‘They have a few people on the ground; [but] they, the French, don’t do that.

‘So, they QC [quality control] the Ukrainians while they’re loading the Scalp [French-made missiles], because Storm Shadow and Scalp are in a purely technical sense quite similar.

‘And they told me, yes, dear Lord, they’d be looking over the Ukrainians’ shoulders while they load the Taurus.’

The suggestion of British ‘boots on the ground’ in Ukraine has sparked controversy (Picture: Getty)

It’s not clear exactly what ‘reach-back’ meant in this context, though in military jargon it can refer to using a small number of troops at forward command posts to direct the flow of resources.

Nato countries have avoided deploying troops in Ukraine in order to avoid sparking a wider conflict with Russia.

The UK Ministry of Defence has acknowledged the use of around 30 Royal Marines commandos to protect the British embassy in Kyiv.

The UK has also provided training to thousands of Ukrainian troops, pilots and officers in bootcamps on British soil.

Lord Dannatt told Times Radio on Monday: ‘They are suggesting that there are British people in Ukraine. It’s not for you or me to comment on that.

‘I suspect that we do our training on Storm Shadow either in this country or in Poland or elsewhere. It’s not for you or I to confirm or deny whether there are British military in Ukraine.’

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