The Kremlin has said that a leaked recording of German Bundeswehr officers shows the "direct involvement" of the West in the war in Ukraine.

Officers were heard discussing potential Ukrainian strikes on the Kerch Bridge that links the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland, which prompted Moscow to summon Germany's ambassador for an explanation.

The discussions "once again highlight the direct involvement of the collective West in the conflict in Ukraine," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

"The recording itself suggests that the Bundeswehr is discussing substantively and specifically plans to strike Russian territory," he said.

"This does not require any legal interpretation. Everything here is more than obvious."

Peskov said it was not clear whether the German military was acting on its own initiative or if the talks reflected state policy.

"Here we have to find out whether the Bundeswehr is doing this on its own initiative. Then the question is: how controllable is the Bundeswehr and how much does [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz control the situation? Or is it part of German government policy?" Peskov said.

"Both [scenarios] are very bad. Both once again emphasise the direct involvement of the countries of the collective West in the conflict around Ukraine," he stressed.