German intelligence has intercepted radio communications in which Russian soldiers discuss the killing of civilians near Kyiv, the German magazine Spiegel reported on the 7th. It might provide new evidence that Russian troops have committed atrocities in Ukraine.
According to the magazine, German officials may have said that the interception was part of a deliberate strategy to arouse fear, rather than the killing of civilians in Bucha near Keef by some mercenaries. He said it suggests that there is. The official said he passed on this information to Congress on the 6th. The Russian side claims that the image of the body of a civilian found in Bucha following the withdrawal of the armed forces was a fabrication.
The Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is intercepting location data that matches the location of the body found in Bucha, Spiegel reported. In one conversation, he included the voice of a soldier claiming to have shot and killed a person riding a bicycle. In another conversation, some said they should first cross-examine the civilians there and then shoot.
Such German information suggests that hired soldiers from the Russian private military company Wagner Group may have been involved in the atrocities, Spiegel reported. According to witnesses, young soldiers initially came to Bucha during the first phase of the invasion, but were later replaced by other soldiers and attacked civilians.
Original title:Germany Tapped Russian Chatter on Bucha Killings, Spiegel Says(excerpt)