Die Zeit: Germany sent intelligence to Ukraine long before special operation

MOSCOW, September 29 – RIA Novosti. German Federal Intelligence Service provides Ukraine with satellite imagery, radio interceptions and phone calls, writes Death time.

According to the author of the article, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the transfer of MANPADS, ammunition and some other types of weapons to Kiev, but remained silent about intelligence.

In the months leading up to the crisis, German intelligence increased its contacts with Ukraine. Kyiv received satellite images, radio interceptions and phone calls from Berlin. It is noted that unlike their British and American counterparts, the Germans do not do this in real time.

Still, the newspaper writes, the question of the political consequences of such actions by Germany remains open. The publication recalls that Chancellor Scholz adhered to the position of preventing a military conflict between NATO and Russia, but realized that there was no clear rule when a country became a party to the conflict. Intelligence officers refer to provisions in international law that the transmission of such information does not make a state a participant in an armed conflict.

Against the background of Russia’s special operation to protect Donbass, which began on February 24, Western countries continue to pump weapons into Ukraine and help intelligence. Moscow has repeatedly stated that the supply of Western weapons only prolongs the conflict, and transportation with them becomes a legitimate goal.