Germany's defence minister has accused Russia of waging an "information war" aimed at creating division in the country in his first comments since the publication of an audio recording of a meeting of senior German military officials.
On Friday, Russian media published a 38-minute recording of the conversation in which German officers are heard discussing weapons for Ukraine and a potential strike by Kiev on a bridge in Crimea, prompting officials in Moscow to demand an explanation.
On Saturday, Germany called the conversation an apparent act of eavesdropping and said it was investigating.
"The incident is much more than just intercepting and publishing a conversation... It is part of the information war that Putin is waging," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on March 3.
"This is a hybrid disinformation attack. It is aimed at dividing the country. It is aimed at undermining our unity."
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected accusations of spreading false or misleading information when faced with accusations from other countries. On Friday, a Russian foreign ministry spokesman said the country was demanding "an explanation from Germany" without specifying its specific reasons.
In the leaked conversation, the participants discussed the possible delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Kiev, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far publicly rejected.
Kiev has long wanted Germany to provide it with Taurus missiles, which can reach targets up to 500 km away. /BGNES
