A farmer in the German state of Lower Saxony accidentally found the remains of a drone, prompting the German army to re-evaluate the security situation. In mid-September, the remains of a drone that appeared to have crashed in the area were found near Funstorff Air Base.
This drone is similar in design to the drone that was loaded with explosives and was used in early August in the failed attack on Leipzig Airport. The march that was found near the Funstorff base was also carrying a metal canister containing highly explosive materials.
It is likely that the Funstorff march was lying near the German army base about two years ago. This is what was shown by the technical analyzes conducted by the Federal Criminal Police Office. Investigators also assume that the goal, unlike the Leipzig incident, was not to attack civilian cargo aircraft, but rather to target German army aircraft.
These new data and information led to a re-evaluation of the level of security threat by the competent authorities. According to a report published by the “Tagesschau” website, the WDR network, affiliated with the first German channel (ARD), and the newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reviewed an internal security analysis of the German army, which classifies for the first time the threat resulting from Russian sabotage acts against the German army as “high,” and this is the second highest degree on the risk assessment scale.
For the first time, the German army assumes that its forces and facilities inside Germany itself may become the target of Russian attacks. The document stated, referring to the discovery of the two drones in Leipzig and Wunstorf: “These incidents confirm that Russia has, for some time, almost certainly possessed the ability to act against German army forces and facilities, as well as against partners such as Ukraine inside Germany, and it is also highly likely that it now has an increasing intention to do so.”
The risk assessment indicates, according to the document, that Russia, by using drones “as a means with a kinetic effect,” crossed “a hitherto expected red line regarding the intention to cause harm by using kinetic means with - or with a lethal effect” against Germany and the German army. What is meant by this is the use of drones as a weapon that can have lethal effects.
The assessment adds, "While the Leipzig incident could have been considered an indirect threat to the German army, it is highly likely, in light of the Wunstorff incident, that the German army itself was directly targeted."
At the strategic level, the German army’s analysis believes that Russia is likely seeking “to weaken Germany and destabilize its political and societal cohesion, with the current focus on weakening German support for Ukraine.” At the operational level, it is believed that Russia's goal is to "harm any support provided to Ukraine, whether in the form of equipment or training, and thus weaken the defense capabilities of Ukraine itself."
Until now, German military security experts had assumed that the increased risk of sabotage was particularly concentrated at sites where Ukrainian soldiers were trained, as well as at naval bases and shipbuilding and maintenance yards where German Navy warships were docked. Over the past years, these sites have witnessed several incidents that were classified as acts of sabotage.
But the new assessment indicates that it is no longer possible to limit the risk of Russian sabotage acts to specific regions or geographical locations. According to German army estimates, and based on assessments of the intelligence services, “an escalation in the security situation is expected in the near term, with the possibility of (sabotage) acts occurring in the near future.”
During the past years, Germany has witnessed several incidents suspected of being espionage operations on military facilities and infrastructure, while the security authorities suspect Russia of being behind them.
Among these incidents, suspicious drones were flown several times, the most recent of which was, for example, over the site of the new “Arrow 3” missile defense system in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, as well as over a German army base in Mecherniche in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The latter site includes a highly protected warehouse for German armed forces equipment, in addition to a maintenance and repair unit for the Butterbot air defense system.
Also in Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, last year a camera was found mounted on a pole in a parking lot, which was photographing a train station. The camera was equipped with a night vision feature, capable of broadcasting images live, and was apparently camouflaged with a German Railways sticker on it.
The Minden station is of particular importance in the German army's plans related to transporting and moving forces. The German-British Military Engineer Bridge Battalion No. 130 is also stationed nearby, which is a specialized and unique unit within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
After accidentally finding the camera, police were able to identify a suspect, a Lithuanian truck driver. His home was searched in April, and the Public Prosecution ordered the confiscation of several data storage devices, the contents of which are still being analyzed.
In response to an inquiry in this regard, a spokesman for the German Army Operations Command said, “Given the increasing threat level, the German Army currently assumes that there is a high risk of acts of sabotage.” For this reason, the army is currently working, preventively, to strengthen security measures at its sites and installations with the aim of protecting its facilities and personnel.
It should be noted that Russia constantly denies any involvement in espionage, sabotage, or hybrid attacks in Germany.
