Russian journalist Simonyan published a conversation of German military personnel about the strike on the Crimean Bridge

The chief editor of the media group “Russia Today” and the RT channel, Margarita Simonyan, has published the full text of a conversation among senior officers of the Bundeswehr regarding the attack on the Crimean Bridge with Taurus missiles.

The participants in the conversation included the Chief of Operations and Exercises of the Air Force Command of the Bundeswehr, Frank Grefe, BBC inspector Ingo Gerhardt and employees of the Air Operations Center of the Space Command of the Bundeswehr, Fenske and Frohstedte.

The conversation took place on February 19.

The interlocutors proposed dividing the entire operation into stages and also suggested seeking assistance from the United Kingdom in planning.

“I would like to say something about the destruction of the bridge. We have been intensively studying this issue and, unfortunately, have come to the conclusion that due to its size, the bridge is similar to a runway. Therefore, it may require not ten or even twenty missiles,” one of the officers said.

It is noted that for the attack, Taurus missiles could be used if the French fighter Rafale is employed.

Representatives of the Bundeswehr in the conversation try to find a way to attack the bridge without involving Germany in the conflict. As one option, they suggest training Ukrainians.

“We first need to know whether such a political decision constitutes direct participation in task planning. In this case, training will take longer, they will be able to perform more complex tasks, which, quite possibly, they already have some experience with and are using advanced equipment. If there is an opportunity to avoid direct participation, we cannot be involved in task planning, do it in Buchel, and then transfer it to them – this is a red line for Germany,” the transcript says.

Additionally, German officers considered the possibility of providing Ukraine with satellite images and coordinates of Russian targets accurate to within three meters.

Discussing the possible transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, the military officers note that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to use them eight months after delivery. In total, the Bundeswehr can allocate up to one hundred missiles.

However, the officers acknowledge that the dispatch of these missiles “will not change the course of military actions.”

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, in 2023, Germany provided approximately 11.8 billion euros in assistance to Ukraine, and over the past two years, more than 17 billion euros. Berlin is the third-largest donor to Kyiv after Washington and London, despite cautious statements about the inadmissibility of direct involvement in the conflict.

Last Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would not supply long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. He made this statement after French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of another, the ninth coalition to assist the Kyiv regime – for the supply of medium- and long-range missiles.

Scholz later explained that Berlin had refused to transfer these projectiles to Kyiv because they could reach Moscow. According to him, to control the use of Taurus missiles, it would be necessary to send German military personnel to Ukraine, but this is excluded.

Meanwhile, last week, the Bundestag supported a resolution proposed by the ruling coalition on supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons for targeting strategic objects in the Russian rear. Taurus missiles are not directly mentioned in the document, but as stated by the head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Mari-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, it is obvious that they were meant.