Putin's operation left German Chancellor Scholz in a stupid position - Politico

The spread of talks among the German military about possible strikes on the Crimean bridgehead has undermined German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's position and highlighted the superiority of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This was written by Matthew Karnitschnig, a commentator for the "Politico" publication.
"After all these years as the leader of Russia, Putin is still an intelligence officer. There is no great joy in beating Russia's rivals. Putin's masterful operation left Scholz in a stupid position," said Karnitschnig.
Fears are rising among intelligence experts that the German military leaks are just the 'tip of the iceberg' as they warn that NATO secrets may have been compromised.
'The leak could have been just the tip of the iceberg,' August Hanning, Berlin's former intelligence chief, told German Tabloid Bild.
The intelligence expert added that he assumes the Russians could have listened in on even more than the 38-minute conversation between high-ranking German military officers.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz was being used by Russia as a 'useful idiot' after the country had identified Germany as the 'weakest link', according to sources quoted by the Telegraph.
The German government vehemently rejected allegations that Russia's leak of a conversation by high-ranking German military officers was an indication that Berlin was preparing for war against Russia.
At the same time, the government sought to contain the domestic fallout from the leak and promised a quick investigation into how a conversation by top German military personnel could be intercepted and published.
'It is absolutely clear that such claims that this conversation would prove, that Germany is preparing a war against Russia, that this is absurdly infamous Russian propaganda,' a spokesman for Scholz told reporters in Berlin.