In recent days, numerous drone flights have been recorded over strategic facilities and critical infrastructure in Germany, according to Bild and Spiegel.
In Schleswig-Holstein, on the night of September 26, drones were spotted over the Kiel shipyard, a university hospital, a power plant, the regional parliament, and an oil refinery supplying fuel to Hamburg Airport. In Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, drones flew over military sites in Sanitz and Rostock. Police reported that in the port of Rostock, several large quadcopters weighing more than 2.5 kilograms were flying “in coordination,” moving on parallel courses, which may indicate an attempt to map the area.
Who is behind the launches remains unclear, but experts note similarities with recent incidents in Denmark.
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Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt spoke of an “increasing security threat” and announced the creation of a national counter-drone center. The Bundestag is drafting legislation that would allow the army to shoot down suspicious drones even outside military sites. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had earlier stressed that Germany would shoot down drones in the event of a “real security threat.”