The unprecedented move will see German soldiers shooting down drones if they believe they are part of Putin’s “shadow war” against Western countries supporting Ukraine
Germany has told its soldiers to shoot down any suspicious drones spotted over its military sites amid rising tensions with Russia.
The country’s cabinet agreed the unprecedented move with the belief that they may be spy drones and are part of Putin’s “shadow war” against Western countries supporting Ukraine. Putin denies any such shadow war is taking place.
A statement from Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that, “especially since [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have seen that drones are being used more and more frequently, which poses an increasing challenge for the police and their current technology “.
Under current regulations, soldiers are allowed to assist the police in forcing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to change direction or land, threaten to shoot it down or fire warning shots. But under the new scheme, a drone could be shot down by the army if it is believed the device is being “used against the lives of people or against a critical facility, and the use of armed force is the only means of averting this present danger,” the ministry announced today.
Germany says it has noticed an increase in drones, which do not respond and they fear “espionage or sabotage are regularly considered as a possible reason”. Police in the southern state of Bavaria reported that they were looking into several incidents in which drones had flown over military buildings in Manching and Neuburg an der Donau.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in October that Moscow was using “hybrid means to target Germany”, adding: “We see many, many examples, time and again.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Tensions have centred around the status of Crimea and parts of the Donbas – both are internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.
