Getty ImagesThe German government has decided to allow the military to shoot down suspicious drones seen near military sites or other critical infrastructure.
Interior Minister Nancy Viser said in a statement: “Especially since (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have seen drones being used more and more frequently, posing an increasing challenge to the police and their existing technologies.” “.
Russia is suspected of waging a “shadow war” against Western countries that support Ukraine, which Russia denies.
This has included alleged attempts to blow up international aircraft, attack infrastructure, or interfere in democratic elections.
“I can only confirm that Russia planned aerial terrorist acts, not only against Poland but against airlines around the world,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday.
He did not provide any details, but his statement appeared to be a confirmation of a report in the New York Times that US President Joe Biden warned Putin about the alleged plans.
In November, Polish prosecutors said a series of package fires targeted courier companies in Europe They were experimental operations carried out by groups aimed at sabotaging flights to the United States and Canada.
Tusk was hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw, a day after NATO announced a new mission to increase monitoring of ships in the Baltic Sea after important submarine cables were damaged or cut last year.
Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
There have been several instances of unidentified drones flying over military bases recently.
German police said that at least 10 drones were seen flying over the Manching air base near the city of Ingolstadt on Sunday evening.
Last month, there were sightings in Manching and nearby Neuburg an der Donau.
Drones were also spotted at the US air base in Ramstein and in a nearby industrial area in the North Sea.
Interior Minister Weiser said in her statement that “espionage or sabotage is regularly seen as a possible cause.”
Under current rules, the German military can only help police force drones to turn away or land, but also fire warning shots to achieve this.
Under the new proposals – which still need to be approved by Parliament – soldiers may shoot down a drone if they believe that is the only way to deal with the risk it poses “to people's lives or to a vital facility”.
In November, Polish prosecutors said a series of package fires targeting courier companies in Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom were test trials aimed at sabotaging flights to the United States and Canada.
Western security officials believe they were part of a campaign coordinated by Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU.
Russia denies being behind the sabotage.
But it is suspected of being behind other attacks on depots and rail networks in EU member states this year, including Sweden and the Czech Republic.
