Germany’s cabinet has authorized the army to shoot down suspicious drones seen near military sites or other critical infrastructure. The Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had said that, “especially since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, drones are being used more frequently, posing an increasing challenge for the police and their current technology.”
Russia is suspected of launching a “shadow war” against Western countries supporting Ukraine, a charge it has consistently denied. This includes alleged attempts to blow up international airliners, attack infrastructure, or interfere with democratic elections.
Meanwhile, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has confirmed that Russia planned acts of air terror, not just against Poland but against airlines globally. His statement appeared to confirm a New York Times report that US President Joe Biden had cautioned Putin over the purported plans.
In November, Polish prosecutors said a series of parcel fires targeting courier companies in Europe were dry runs by groups planning to sabotage flights to the US and Canada. Tusk hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw, a day after NATO announced a new mission to heighten surveillance of ships in the Baltic Sea following damage to critical undersea cables last year.
Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Recently, there have been several instances of unidentified drones flying over military bases. About 10 drones were seen flying above Manching Air Base near Ingolstadt on Sunday evening, according to German police reports. Just last month, there were sightings at Manching and nearby Neuburg an der Donau. Drones were also spotted at the US air base at Ramstein and an industrial zone near the North Sea.
Interior Minister Faeser mentioned that “espionage or sabotage are regularly considered as possible reasons.” This means that under the current rules, the German Army can only help police force drones to move away or land, and fire warning shots. The new proposals, which still need parliamentary approval, would allow soldiers to shoot down drones if they constituted a danger “against the lives of people or against a critical facility.”
In November, Polish prosecutors reiterated that parcel fires targeting courier companies in Poland, Germany, and the UK were dry runs aimed at sabotaging flights to the US and Canada. Western security officials believe these were part of an orchestrated campaign by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Russia denies being behind acts of sabotage but the country is suspected of other attacks on warehouses and railway networks in EU member states, including Sweden and the Czech Republic.
