Germany is set to ramp up its air defence to protect against drone incursions amid an increase in hybrid attacks launched by Russia, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Thursday.
Pointing to recent “violations of the airspace of our European neighbours,” drone overflights and cyberattacks, Dobrindt told lawmakers gathered in the lower house to discuss the 2026 budget that “the threat is omnipresent.”
As a result, Germany will “rearm” in terms of drone defence, the minister said, announcing a reform of the Air Security Act.
NATO warned Russia on Tuesday that it would use “all necessary military and non-military tools” to ward off threats after several incidents in recent weeks which saw Russian jets or drones entering the airspace of NATO members.
NATO allies met for consultations in Brussels after three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace last week, and a large number of Russian drones penetrated Polish airspace earlier in the month. Romania has also recorded a Russian drone entering its airspace this month.
Russia has denied the airspace violations.
Early on Thursday, Denmark said drones spotted over several Danish airports overnight were part of a “hybrid attack” that Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described as likely orchestrated by a professional actor – without attributing the incidents to Russia, however.
It came only two days after the sighting of several larger drones had led to a four-hour closure of Copenhagen Airport on Monday, one of Scandinavia’s most important hubs. Around 100 flights were cancelled, and tens of thousands of passengers were affected.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Monday’s incidents “the most severe attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.”
During his speech to parliament, German minister Dobrindt slammed the anti-immigrant, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, after its co-leader Tino Chrupalla had said in an interview a few weeks ago that he did not think Russia was hostile towards Germany.
Dobrindt said he himself definitely did see such tendencies, announcing a turning point in internal security.
“It is obviously not only military drones in the sky, but also ideological drones in parliament that are jeopardizing our security,” he said with regard to the AfD, the biggest opposition party.
Gottfried Curio, the AfD’s interior policy spokesman in parliament, in turn slammed the government for its continued military support to Ukraine.
“Citizens want a government that cares, but about the problems in the country, not burning billions in Ukraine,” he said.
Source: dpa
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
