Germany will shoot down drones near war zones

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

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser's statement said, “especially since then [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's attack against Ukraine, we have seen that drones are used more and more, which poses an increasing challenge to the police and their current technology. “

Russia has been accused of waging a “shadow war” against Western countries that support Ukraine – a charge it denies.

This includes alleged attempts to blow up international flights, attack infrastructure – or disrupt democratic elections.

“I can only confirm that Russia has been planning acts of terrorism 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 provide details, but his statement seems to confirm a report by the New York Times which states that US President Joe Biden warned Putin about the plans he is accused of.

In November, Polish prosecutors said a series of parcel fires targeted companies that send letters to Europe The groups aimed to destroy flights to the US and Canada.

Tusk was hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw, a day after Nato announced a new campaign to increase surveillance of ships in the Baltic Sea after undersea cables were damaged or cut last year.

Putin launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

There have been several incidents of unidentified drones flying over military installations recently.

At least ten such drones were seen flying over the Manching Air Base near the city of Ingolstadt on Sunday evening, German police said.

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

Drones have also been spotted at the US airfield in Ramstein and nearby industrial sites in the North Sea.

In his statement, Interior Minister Faeser said “espionage or sabotage is always considered as a possible motive”.

Under the current rules, the German Army can only help the police to force the drones to leave or stay – but also fire warning shots to make this happen.

Under the new proposals – which still need to be approved by parliament – the military could shoot down a small plane if it thinks it is the only way to deal with the risk it would pose “to civilian life or against a critical facility”.

In November, Polish prosecutors said a series of parcel fires targeting courier companies in Poland, Germany and the UK were staged attacks aimed at destroying flights to the US and Canada.

Western security officials believe they were part of an operation organized by Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Russia denies that it is behind the acts of sabotage.

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