German military meeting was tapped by Russia in ‘chance hit’ after officer used unsecured line in Singapore hotel

A leaked audio tape featuring four officers discussing arms for Ukraine happened after one member did not adhere to the ‘secure dialling procedure’, Germany’s defence minister said

He added ‘targeted hacking’ by Russia took place during the Singapore Airshow and captured the conversation at a hotel ‘as part of a broad, scattered approach’

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Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk prepare to fire a multiple launch rocket system towards Russian positions on March 5. Photo: AP

Published: 8:40pm, 5 Mar 2024Updated: 10:53pm, 5 Mar 2024

A German military officer used an unsecured phone line at a Singapore hotel to join a conference call that was hacked by Russians and leaked to the public, Germany’s defence minister said on Tuesday.

The fallout from the leaked audio tape, which features four high-ranking German air force officers discussing hypothetically how Taurus long-range cruise missiles could be used by Ukraine against invading Russian forces, has embarrassed the German government and further increased tensions between the two countries.

“Not all participants adhered to the secure dialling procedure as intended,” Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said as he briefed reporters in Berlin on the initial results of an ongoing investigation.

A German national flag is displayed inside the German Air Force Luftwaffe’s Airbus A400M at the Singapore Airshow on February 20. Photo: Reuters

The minister said that the officer in question, whose name he did not give, had taken part in the Singapore Airshow, which was attended by high-ranking military officers from across Europe, and then dialled into the WebEx call using either his mobile phone or the hotel’s Wi-fi, but not a secured line as is considered mandatory for such calls.

“For the Russian secret services, it was a real find … Targeted hacking took place in the hotels used across the board,” Pistorius said. “It must therefore be assumed that the access to this [phone] conference was a chance hit as part of a broad, scattered approach.”

Pistorius said the investigation was ongoing, overall security had been increased and preliminary disciplinary proceedings were being considered, but that severe personal consequences were unlikely.

“I will not sacrifice any of my best officers to Putin’s games, to put it very clearly,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.