Fall-out from the Bundeswehr scandal
The silence among Western media that initially followed the Russian release of tapes of the Bundeswehr plotters was broken after a couple of days when Chancellor Scholz acknowledged the authenticity of the tapes and transcript. He told reporters that the incident was very serious and will now be investigated on an urgent basis.
But what exactly are the Germans going to investigate? The breach of secret communications or the crime that the German government’s own officials were plotting? I would call it a ‘crime against humanity’ in the sense that their intended actions could lead to a world war and the end of civilization on earth.
Regrettably, from all appearances, it is only the first question that interests Herr Scholz, his associates in the coalition government and the Opposition, the Christian Democratic Union. That is what we find in The Financial Times online today in their article “Scholz promises inquiry after Russia publishes tapped military discussions.” There is great consternation that the Russians have accessed what should have been maximally secure communications lines. In its coverage today, Le Monde tells a similar story.
****
I have received a couple of comments from readers of these pages, objecting that there will be no consequences if the German plan to bomb the Kerch (Crimea) bridge were to be implemented because Putin is pusillanimous and has repeatedly allowed Russia’s red lines to be breached. Indeed, the bridge was already severely damaged in 2022 without a Russian escalatory response.
But whatever the degree of Putin’s tolerance of NATO aggression for the sake of preventing all-out war up till now, we are clearly at a turning point. In his State of the Nation speech, Putin bluntly threatened to hit back and use Russian missiles to strike targets in countries which enable attacks on Russia. Note: he did not say ‘nuclear,’ and there is no reason why he should. Russian hypersonic missiles are as destructive with conventional warheads as normal missiles would be carrying tactical nuclear warheads. That there can be no back-tracking from this threat was made clear three days later when the Russians released the transcript of the Bundeswehr plotters.
Just like other powers, as a rule Russia does not reveal its intelligence capabilities. The release of the transcripts was extraordinary. For that reason, it is safe to say that President Putin in his speech was sending a clear message to Washington, Berlin and Brussels that there can no longer be hiding behind the skirt of proxy war and legalisms, that they will pay the price for any attack on Russia which nominally is made by Ukraine using Western long-range weapons. Since the Bundeswehr officers noted how Britain is deeply involved in both supplying and guiding the use of its Storm Shadow missiles in Ukraine, London is also now on notice that ‘there will be consequences,’ as the Americans say.
In short, the worm has turned.
Let us hope that our ideologically blinded European leaders are not also deaf, that they have heard and will heed this clear warning of devastation and death to come if they persist in escalatory policies.
©Gilbert Doctorow, 2024