Germany tells troops to shoot down drones on sight after wave of suspicious UAVs spotted over military sites during hybrid war with Russia
Germany’s cabinet has approved plans to allow the military to shoot down suspected drones after several sightings over military sites, the government announced today, as Russia is accused of waging a “hybrid war” against the West.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that “especially since Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have seen an increasing use of drones, posing an increasing challenge to the police and their current technology.”
The ministry said that “security services have noted that reports of sightings of uncooperative drones over critical infrastructure and military properties in Germany are increasing.”
“Espionage or sabotage are regularly considered as possible reasons,” it added in a statement, as tensions between Moscow and Berlin continue to rise.
Under current regulations, soldiers can assist police in forcing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to change direction or land, threaten to shoot it down or fire warning shots.
But under the new proposals, a drone could be shot down by the military if it is believed the device is “being used against human lives or against a critical facility, and the use of armed force is the only way to avert this current danger.” turn. danger,” the ministry said.
Unidentified drones have been spotted flying over several military bases and other sensitive locations in Germany in recent months, at a time when the country is on high alert for Russian espionage.
Police in the southern state of Bavaria said this week they were investigating several incidents involving drones flying over military installations in Manching and Neuburg an der Donau.
In this photo taken from a video released by the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense on Monday, November 25, 2024, a Russian soldier launches an FPV drone towards Ukrainian position at a secret location
Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen hosting a video conference on January 15
A Russian drone flies in the skies over Kiev after a missile attack on the city in November
The Manching site is home to a military airfield and is where the Eurofighter aircraft is being developed by Airbus.
Several drones have also recently been spotted in an industrial area near the North Sea and near the American air base in Ramstein.
The changes still need to be approved by the lower and upper houses of Parliament before they become law.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in October that Moscow was using “hybrid means” to attack Germany, adding: “We see many, many examples again and again.”
She mentioned drone activity around the new gas terminals, suggesting they were “not there to observe the beautiful local landscape, but because there is a chemical park there and a… nuclear waste storage facility nearby.”
According to German media reports, the reconnaissance was carried out by unmanned Russian military aircraft. Officials warned that the reconnaissance could be “for the purpose of sabotage.”
It comes as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk today warned that Russia had planned acts of “air terror” against airlines around the world, accusing Moscow of organizing sabotage and diversionary maneuvers on Polish territory and beyond.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (R) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) ahead of their talks in Warsaw
Members of the Ukrainian police investigate a crater after an attack on the village of Sknyliv, some 60 kilometers from Lviv, on January 15
“The only thing I can say, and I will not go into details, but I can confirm the validity of these fears, is that Russia has planned acts of air terror, and not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world” Tusk told reporters.
Russian spies were accused of sending a package full of erotic gadgets to DHL depots in Britain and Germany last year in a so-called ‘test run’ before a bigger attack on a flight to the US.
Two incendiary devices were shipped from Lithuania to Birmingham, England, and Leipzig, Germany, via a DHL logistics center on July 22, causing a fire.
It was later revealed that the explosives were hidden in a box containing sex toys and massage cushions.
Moscow is also accused of jamming satellite systems for civilian flights with state-of-the-art technology.
The Kremlin has been accused of trying to undermine European interests because of its support for Kiev and sharp sanctions on Moscow since the war in Ukraine began almost three years ago.
In August, Russia was accused of flying several drones over Germany to collect sensitive information about a nuclear power plant. Germany dismantled its last nuclear power plants in 2023 after years of fierce debate.
Intelligence officers blamed Russia and said Bild drones scouted Brunsbütte as a potential target for sabotage.
Pictured: A fire ignites at a factory in Berlin containing poisonous sulfuric acid and copper cyanide, reportedly linked to missiles supplied to Ukraine
In July, U.S. intelligence revealed a plot that they believe shows Russian intentions to sponsor a series of assassinations of defense industry executives across Europe, including Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, a staunch supporter of Ukraine.
A top German official confirmed that Berlin had been warned about the plot by the US, and Western officials said the Papperger plot was the furthest along.
Rheinmetall is the largest German manufacturer of 155mm artillery shells used by Ukraine to deter the Russian advance. The company was about to open a new factory in Ukraine, tasked with producing armored vehicles, when news of the foiled plot broke.
Baerbock said Russia was waging a hybrid war of aggression, including cyber attacks and infrastructure sabotage.
“This once again underlines that we as Europeans must protect ourselves as best we can and not be naive,” she said.
“The intensification of the campaign of subversion in Russia is something that we take very seriously and have focused intensely on in recent months,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. CNN at the time.
Bubbles rise to the surface during a leak in the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022
Migrants near the Polish border. Poland said hundreds of people were being transferred from Belarus as a deliberate tactic to burden the border
“The United States has discussed this issue with our NATO allies, and we are actively working together to expose and disrupt these activities,” she said, reiterating her support for Ukraine in light of the destabilization efforts.
Russia has been accused of trying to destabilize Ukraine’s allies since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Moscow is also said to have stepped up its subversive activities after Biden relaxed rules for Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at Russia.
Hybrid warfare tactics they are said to have employed include ‘weaponizing mass migration’ along the EU’s western border.
Western leaders accused Russia in November of sabotaging vital cables in the Baltic Sea, and have repeatedly accused Russia of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines that supply gas to Europe.
There are also allegations that Russia influenced elections in Moldova and Georgia.