The German authorities said on Saturday that they are investigating the matter after an audio recording was published in Russia, allegedly discussing German military officers supporting Ukraine, including the possible use of Taurus missiles.

The German News Agency (dpa) quoted Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in Rome on Saturday, describing the matter as "very serious" and saying that German authorities are working to clarify the matter "very carefully, intensively, and very quickly."

In the 38-minute recording, military officers discuss how Ukraine could use long-range Taurus missiles. There is controversy in Germany about whether Ukraine will be supplied with the missiles at a time when Ukraine is facing setbacks on the battlefield after two years of war, and with U.S. military aid suspended in Congress.

Earlier this week, Scholz said he was still hesitant to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, citing the risk of Germany becoming directly involved in the war. His hesitation has been a source of friction in his three-party coalition and has upset the conservative opposition in Germany.

But in the alleged audio recording, the German officers discuss the theoretical possibility of using the missiles in Ukraine.

The German Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it is investigating whether Russia intercepted communications within the Air Force, and according to our assessment, a conversation within the Air Force was intercepted. We cannot currently say for certain whether any changes were made to the recorded or transcribed version circulating on social media."

Margherita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-funded RT television channel, posted the audio recording on social media.

She wrote on the Telegram messaging app, "In this recording (...) senior German army officers discuss how they would bomb the Crimea bridge," adding that the conversation took place on February 19. She added that during the conversation, one of the officers mentioned a planned trip to Ukraine on February 21 to coordinate strikes on Russian targets.

Germany is now the second largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States and is intensifying its support this year. But Scholz has stumbled for months over Ukraine's desire to obtain Taurus missiles, which have a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) and can theoretically be used against distant targets inside Russian territory.

The Chancellor has always insisted on helping Ukraine without escalating the war and dragging Germany and NATO into conflict, emphasizing that no German soldier will go to Ukraine.

Scholz said at a meeting of the Party of European Socialists in Rome on Saturday, "We will not send European soldiers to Ukraine. We do not want a war between Russia and NATO, and we will do everything we can to prevent that."

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that future deployment of Western forces on the ground in Ukraine is "not excluded," a proposal quickly rejected by Germany, Poland, and other allied countries.