Germany has fired back by claiming it has “no need to apologise” for leaking British military secrets.
Miguel Berger, who serves as Germany’s Ambassador to the UK, claimed the leak was a “Russian hybrid attack”.
He also alleged it was intended to “destabilise the West” by causing division between the allies.
Berger told the BBC: “We have to be careful not to fall into the Russian trap of creating division and regrettably some media and some people have fallen into this trap.”
Germany has fired back by claiming it has “no need to apologise” for leaking British military secrets
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A leaked video call showed the head of the German air force claiming Britain has “a few people on the ground [operating] in reachback”.
The military term means units have been deployed deep into Ukraine.
Military experts warned that the revelations from Germany put British troops at risk.
It could even have limited their role on the ground in the ex-Soviet state.
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Miguel Berger serves as German Ambassador to the UK
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The spat resulted in Berger trading blows with ex-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
Wallace labelled Germany as “pretty penetrated by Russian intelligence” and “neither secure nor reliable”.
Berger responded: “It is extremely unhelpful what Ben Wallace has done. This is what Russia wants.”
Military sources expressed serious concerns about the security breach.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded the situation was “very serious”.
The Kremlin claimed the recording showed the direct involvement of the West in the Ukraine conflict.
A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson later said on social media: “We demand an explanation from Germany.”
The 38-minute video also included a segment which suggested German officers discussed the prospect of Ukraine using German-made Taurus cruise missiles.
However, Scholz has repeatedly ruled out sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine.