Germany to shoot down drones near military installations

The German cabinet has decided to authorize the military to shoot down suspicious drones seen near military sites or other critical infrastructure.

A statement from Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said, “Especially since (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have seen drones being used more and more frequently, posing a challenge increasing for the police and their current technology.

Russia is suspected of launching a “shadow war” against Western countries that support Ukraine, an accusation Russia denies.

This has included alleged attempts to blow up international airliners, attack infrastructure or interfere with democratic elections.

“I can only confirm that Russia planned acts of air terrorism, not only against Poland but against airlines around the world,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday.

He did not give any details, but his statement appeared to be confirmation of a New York Times report that US President Joe Biden had warned Putin about the alleged plans.

In November, Polish prosecutors reported a series of package fires aimed at courier companies in Europe. They were drills carried out by groups that intended to sabotage flights to the US and Canada.

Tusk received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw, a day after NATO announced a new mission to increase surveillance of ships in the Baltic Sea after critical undersea cables were damaged or cut last year.

Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Recently there have been several cases of unidentified drones flying over military bases.

At least 10 such drones were seen flying over the Manching air base, near the city of Ingolstadt, on Sunday night, German police said.

Last month there were sightings in Manching and nearby Neuburg an der Donau.

Drones were also detected at the US Ramstein air base and an industrial area near it in the North Sea.

In her statement, Interior Minister Faeser stated that “espionage or sabotage is normally considered a possible motive.”

Under current rules, the German military can only help police force drones to move away or land, but also fire warning shots to make this happen.

Under the new proposals, which still need parliamentary approval, soldiers can shoot down a drone if they believe it is the only way to address the danger it poses “to people’s lives or to a critical facility.”

In November, Polish prosecutors said a series of package fires targeting courier companies in Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom were drills aimed at sabotaging flights to the United States and Canada.

Western security officials believe they were part of a campaign orchestrated by the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Russia denies being behind acts of sabotage.

But it is suspected of being behind other attacks on warehouses and railway networks in EU member states this year, including Sweden and the Czech Republic.