05:05Defence Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz claimed audio released to the media of German officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine was 'not a leak' while blaming Russia - a statement disputed by his colleague - during a press briefing in Berlin on Wednesday.
"First of all, I would like to make it clear that this is not a leak. I ask you not to be this careless, no information was consciously passed from the inside to the outside, but rather it is a Russian eavesdropping attack that was carried out for destabilisation," he alleged.
He claimed that the goal was to sow discord, stressing that the German government would not participate in such tactics and urged global partners to join in holding the perpetrators accountable.
"I am now faced with the challenge of talking about a conversation that was not intended for you and me to hear, but rather experts were talking about a technical topic and were overheard by a foreign, enemy secret service, and this secret service has then been made public," said spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit.
"Military advice is military advice and must also include military aspects," he said, adding that 'I don't think I mentioned a specific country or country by name' - despite Collatz having earlier done so.
"I spoke about a foreign, hostile secret service, and otherwise, I hope everyone has fun trying to put pressure on the Federal Chancellor," he added.
Earlier this week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius claimed that the country's military communications were 'not compromised' following last week's bombshell audio release, while admitting that Moscow appeared to be controlling the agenda.
The row began last Friday, when the 38-minute recording was published by Russian media. It featured four senior German military officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine, the supply of 100 such missiles and possible targets, including the Kerch Bridge.
It included the claim that the UK had 'people on the ground', which the country has repeatedly denied.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for Germany to provide 'answers', while Deputy Head of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev claimed it proved Germany was 'preparing for war against Russia'.
Scholz has consistently rejected calls to send Taurus missiles to Kiev. The leaked audio followed a major row between Germany and the UK last week, after the chancellor repeatedly claimed that the country, as well as France, was helping Ukraine with 'target control' of its missiles.
The chancellor's apparent revelations came while attempting to justify why the Taurus system would not be sent - because it required German troops on the ground.
Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace criticised 'not only dangerous use of facts but also often wrong facts', describing Scholz as 'the wrong man, in the wrong job at the wrong time', while British Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns also called it 'wrong, irresponsible and a slap in the face to allies'.
'Not a leak, an eavesdropping attack' - German DefMin debates semantics with press as media reps divided over blaming 'Russia'
Defence Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz claimed audio released to the media of German officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine was 'not a leak' while blaming Russia - a statement disputed by his colleague - during a press briefing in Berlin on Wednesday.
"First of all, I would like to make it clear that this is not a leak. I ask you not to be this careless, no information was consciously passed from the inside to the outside, but rather it is a Russian eavesdropping attack that was carried out for destabilisation," he alleged.
He claimed that the goal was to sow discord, stressing that the German government would not participate in such tactics and urged global partners to join in holding the perpetrators accountable.
"I am now faced with the challenge of talking about a conversation that was not intended for you and me to hear, but rather experts were talking about a technical topic and were overheard by a foreign, enemy secret service, and this secret service has then been made public," said spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit.
"Military advice is military advice and must also include military aspects," he said, adding that 'I don't think I mentioned a specific country or country by name' - despite Collatz having earlier done so.
"I spoke about a foreign, hostile secret service, and otherwise, I hope everyone has fun trying to put pressure on the Federal Chancellor," he added.
Earlier this week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius claimed that the country's military communications were 'not compromised' following last week's bombshell audio release, while admitting that Moscow appeared to be controlling the agenda.
The row began last Friday, when the 38-minute recording was published by Russian media. It featured four senior German military officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine, the supply of 100 such missiles and possible targets, including the Kerch Bridge.
It included the claim that the UK had 'people on the ground', which the country has repeatedly denied.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for Germany to provide 'answers', while Deputy Head of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev claimed it proved Germany was 'preparing for war against Russia'.
Scholz has consistently rejected calls to send Taurus missiles to Kiev. The leaked audio followed a major row between Germany and the UK last week, after the chancellor repeatedly claimed that the country, as well as France, was helping Ukraine with 'target control' of its missiles.
The chancellor's apparent revelations came while attempting to justify why the Taurus system would not be sent - because it required German troops on the ground.
Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace criticised 'not only dangerous use of facts but also often wrong facts', describing Scholz as 'the wrong man, in the wrong job at the wrong time', while British Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns also called it 'wrong, irresponsible and a slap in the face to allies'.
Defence Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz claimed audio released to the media of German officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine was 'not a leak' while blaming Russia - a statement disputed by his colleague - during a press briefing in Berlin on Wednesday.
"First of all, I would like to make it clear that this is not a leak. I ask you not to be this careless, no information was consciously passed from the inside to the outside, but rather it is a Russian eavesdropping attack that was carried out for destabilisation," he alleged.
He claimed that the goal was to sow discord, stressing that the German government would not participate in such tactics and urged global partners to join in holding the perpetrators accountable.
"I am now faced with the challenge of talking about a conversation that was not intended for you and me to hear, but rather experts were talking about a technical topic and were overheard by a foreign, enemy secret service, and this secret service has then been made public," said spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit.
"Military advice is military advice and must also include military aspects," he said, adding that 'I don't think I mentioned a specific country or country by name' - despite Collatz having earlier done so.
"I spoke about a foreign, hostile secret service, and otherwise, I hope everyone has fun trying to put pressure on the Federal Chancellor," he added.
Earlier this week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius claimed that the country's military communications were 'not compromised' following last week's bombshell audio release, while admitting that Moscow appeared to be controlling the agenda.
The row began last Friday, when the 38-minute recording was published by Russian media. It featured four senior German military officers discussing the potential use of Taurus missiles in Ukraine, the supply of 100 such missiles and possible targets, including the Kerch Bridge.
It included the claim that the UK had 'people on the ground', which the country has repeatedly denied.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for Germany to provide 'answers', while Deputy Head of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev claimed it proved Germany was 'preparing for war against Russia'.
Scholz has consistently rejected calls to send Taurus missiles to Kiev. The leaked audio followed a major row between Germany and the UK last week, after the chancellor repeatedly claimed that the country, as well as France, was helping Ukraine with 'target control' of its missiles.
The chancellor's apparent revelations came while attempting to justify why the Taurus system would not be sent - because it required German troops on the ground.
Former UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace criticised 'not only dangerous use of facts but also often wrong facts', describing Scholz as 'the wrong man, in the wrong job at the wrong time', while British Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns also called it 'wrong, irresponsible and a slap in the face to allies'.