Close to Germany’s military drone drop sites

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, which poses an increasing challenge to police and current technology.”

He suspects that Russia has launched a “shadow war” against Western countries that support Ukraine – a charge he denies.

It has included alleged attempts to blow up international aircraft, attack infrastructure or disrupt democratic elections.

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

He did not elaborate, but his statement appeared to confirm a New York Times report that US President Joe Biden had warned Putin about the alleged plans.

In November, Polish prosecutors spoke out against package fires targeting European courier companies It was a dry run for groups aiming to sabotage flights to the US and Canada.

Tusk was hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw, a day after NATO announced a new mission to step up surveillance of ships in the Baltic Sea after critical submarine cables were damaged or cut last year.

Putin launched a full invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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

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

Last month, they were spotted in Manching and nearby Neuburg an der Donau.

Drones were also seen at Ramstein Air Base in the US and an industrial area in the North Sea.

In his statement, Interior Minister Faeser said that “espionage or sabotage is regularly considered as a possible reason”.

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

Under the new proposals – which still need Parliament’s approval – soldiers can shoot down a drone if they believe it is the only way to deal with a threat to “personnel life or a critical installation”.

In November, Polish prosecutors said a series of package 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 they were part of a campaign organized by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Russia denies being behind the acts of sabotage.

But it is suspected to have been behind other attacks on warehouses and rail networks in EU member states this year, including in Sweden and the Czech Republic.