Kremlin Says German Army Discussing Strikes on Russia, Asks if Scholz Is in Control 

A German national flag is set on the car of the Ambassador of Germany to Russia Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, outside the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia March 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A German national flag is set on the car of the Ambassador of Germany to Russia Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, outside the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia March 4, 2024. (Reuters)
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Kremlin Says German Army Discussing Strikes on Russia, Asks if Scholz Is in Control 

A German national flag is set on the car of the Ambassador of Germany to Russia Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, outside the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia March 4, 2024. (Reuters)
A German national flag is set on the car of the Ambassador of Germany to Russia Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, outside the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia March 4, 2024. (Reuters)

The Kremlin said on Monday a purported recording of German military discussions showed Germany's armed forces were discussing plans to launch strikes on Russian territory, and questioned whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in control of the situation.

Russian media last week published an audio recording of what they said was a meeting of senior German military officials discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kyiv on a bridge in Crimea, prompting Russian officials to demand an explanation.

"The recording itself says that within the Bundeswehr, plans to launch strikes on Russian territory are being discussed substantively and concretely. This does not require any legal interpretation. Everything here is more than obvious," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Germany says it is investigating the recording. Russia has summoned Germany's ambassador to demand an explanation.

"Here we have to find out whether the Bundeswehr is doing this on its own initiative. Then the question is: how controllable is the Bundeswehr and how much does Scholz control the situation? Or is it part of German government policy?" Peskov said.

"Both (scenarios) are very bad. Both once again emphasize the direct involvement of the countries of the collective West in the conflict around Ukraine."

Germany is among the NATO countries that have supplied weaponry to Ukraine including tanks. Russia accuses what it calls the "collective West" of using Ukraine to wage a proxy war against it; NATO says it is helping Kyiv to defend itself against a war of aggression.



Hundreds Rally in Paris for Iranian Women’s Rights

A protester holds a placard as she takes part in a march on the second anniversary of a protest movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, arrested for allegedly violating the dress code for women at Place de la Bastille, in Paris on September 15, 2024. (AFP)
A protester holds a placard as she takes part in a march on the second anniversary of a protest movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, arrested for allegedly violating the dress code for women at Place de la Bastille, in Paris on September 15, 2024. (AFP)
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Hundreds Rally in Paris for Iranian Women’s Rights

A protester holds a placard as she takes part in a march on the second anniversary of a protest movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, arrested for allegedly violating the dress code for women at Place de la Bastille, in Paris on September 15, 2024. (AFP)
A protester holds a placard as she takes part in a march on the second anniversary of a protest movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, arrested for allegedly violating the dress code for women at Place de la Bastille, in Paris on September 15, 2024. (AFP)

Hundreds of people marched through Paris on Sunday in support of women's rights and the opposition in Iran, two years after the death of Mahsa Amini sparked protests against the country's religious authorities.

A 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, Amini died in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.

The march, organized by around 20 human rights associations, took place as 34 women began a hunger strike in a Tehran prison to mark the two-year anniversary of her death.

Chirinne Ardakani, a Franco-Iranian lawyer and member of the "Iran Justice" collective, said that the "sacrifices" made by Iranians opposed to the regime were "not in vain".

"Everything has changed in Iran," Ardakani told AFP.

"We've gone from an absolutely patriarchal culture, where there was no question of women being able to reveal themselves in the street, to massive support for these women," the lawyer and activist added.

The march in solidarity with the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement was attended by Benjamin Briere and Louis Arnaud, two Frenchmen who were arrested and arbitrarily detained in Iran.

Iran is accused of arresting Westerners without cause and using them as bargaining chips in state-to-state negotiations, with French diplomats describing these prisoners as "state hostages".

Briere was eventually released in May 2023, while Arnaud was let go the month after.

"Yes, I was in prison, but it is an immense honor to have been able to live among you, freedom fighters, who shared my suffering," Arnaud told the crowd, in his first public address since his release.

Three other French nationals are still being held in Iran.

After Amini died in custody on September 16, 2022, the women-led protests which erupted rattled Iran's leadership that autumn and winter.

But the demonstrations were then crushed by the authorities, with rights group Amnesty International saying security forces used assault rifles and shotguns in the crackdown.

Human rights groups say at least 551 people were killed. Thousands more were arrested, according to the United Nations.