Germany Accuses Russia of ‘Information War’ after Military Recording

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrives to give a statement at the Defense Ministry in Berlin on March 3, 2024 following leaks of secret Ukraine war talks. (AFP)
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrives to give a statement at the Defense Ministry in Berlin on March 3, 2024 following leaks of secret Ukraine war talks. (AFP)
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Germany Accuses Russia of ‘Information War’ after Military Recording

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrives to give a statement at the Defense Ministry in Berlin on March 3, 2024 following leaks of secret Ukraine war talks. (AFP)
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrives to give a statement at the Defense Ministry in Berlin on March 3, 2024 following leaks of secret Ukraine war talks. (AFP)

Germany's defense minister said on Sunday Russia was conducting an "information war" aimed at creating divisions within Germany, his first reaction to the publication in Russia of an audio recording of a meeting of senior German military officials.

Russian media on Friday published a 38-minute recording of a call in which German officers were heard discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand an explanation.

On Saturday, Germany called it an apparent act of eavesdropping and said it was investigating.

"The incident is much more than just the interception and publication of a conversation ... It is part of an information war that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is waging," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Sunday.

"It is a hybrid disinformation attack. It is about division. It is about undermining our unity."

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied accusations of spreading false or misleading information when faced with allegations from other countries.

A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said on social media on Friday: "We demand an explanation from Germany," without detailing its particular concerns.

Russia's embassy in Berlin has not responded to an emailed request for comment.

Participants in the call discuss the possible delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kyiv, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly so far firmly rejected. They also talk about the training of Ukrainian soldiers, and possible military targets.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to journalists on Saturday about "cunning plans of the Bundeswehr (German armed forces), which became apparent due to the publication of this audio recording. This is a blatant self-exposure."

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on Sunday the recording indicated that Berlin was preparing to fight Moscow.



Trump Picks Massad Boulos to Serve as Adviser on Arab, Middle Eastern Affairs

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump signs autographs alongside Massad Boulos (The AP)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump signs autographs alongside Massad Boulos (The AP)
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Trump Picks Massad Boulos to Serve as Adviser on Arab, Middle Eastern Affairs

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump signs autographs alongside Massad Boulos (The AP)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump signs autographs alongside Massad Boulos (The AP)

US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday said Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos would serve as senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social. Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, met repeatedly with Arab American and Muslim leaders during the election campaign, Reuters reported.

It was the second time in recent days that Trump chose the father-in-law of one of his children to serve in his administration.

On Saturday, Trump said that he had picked his son-in-law Jared Kushner's father, real estate mogul Charles Kushner, to serve as US ambassador to France.

In recent months, Boulos campaigned for Trump to drum up Lebanese and Arab American support, even as the US-backed Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Boulos has powerful roots in both countries.

His father and grandfather were both figures in Lebanese politics and his father-in-law was a key funder of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian party aligned with Hezbollah.

His son Michael and Tiffany Trump were married in an elaborate ceremony at Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago Club in November 2022, after getting engaged in the White House Rose Garden during Trump's first term.

Boulos has been in touch with interlocutors across Lebanon's multipolar political world, three sources who spoke to him in recent months say, a rare feat in Lebanon, where decades-old rivalries between factions run deep.

Boulos is a friend of Suleiman Frangieh, a Christian ally of Hezbollah and its candidate for Lebanon's presidency. He is also in touch with the Lebanese Forces Party, a vehemently anti-Hezbollah Christian faction, the sources say, and has ties to independent lawmakers.