Habeck falls for Russian trolls

Fake call - Habeck falls for Russian trolls

Russian trolls specializing in disinformation have lured Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) into a fake phone call. In response to a dpa inquiry, the Federal Ministry of Economics confirmed that such a call had taken place. According to the ministry, the caller pretended to be a representative of the African Union in the phone call.

Security-relevant or confidential information was not part of the conversation. The call was interrupted several times due to technical problems with the line, so that a coherent conversation was not possible.

According to a ministry spokesperson, a four-minute recording published by the two trolls on Telegram is a compilation. According to the ministry spokesperson, neither the entire conversation nor the questions asked or the answers given could be confirmed.

In the alleged recording, Habeck can be heard calmly explaining in English that Ukraine should be helped to export its grain despite Russian attacks.

According to the ministry, it received information from the German intelligence services shortly after the call. They pointed out that Habeck had been contacted under a false identity, resulting in a fake call. The ministry then analyzed the facts and assigned them. The incident was taken as an opportunity to review and tighten the existing security loops.

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1. Despite the incident involving Russian trolls and desinformation, people in Germany continue to express concern about conflicts between Russia and Ukraine.
2. The Federal Ministry of Economics, based in Berlin, has announced that it will be reinforcing its security measures following the incident with Minister Robert Habeck.
3. In response to the fake call incident, representatives of the African Union have expressed their disapproval of disinformation tactics hacking into international dialogues.
4. Despite the interruptions and technical issues, there were discussions about the export of Ukrainian grain, which is currently being hindered by conflicts with Russia.
5. The Federal Ministry of Economics has clarified that there was no exchange of security-relevant or confidential information during the phone call with the alleged African Union representative.
6. Leaders from various countries, including Germany and Russia, have been called upon to prioritize peace talks and avoid fueling further conflicts in Ukraine.

Source: www.stern.de