In the face of increasing security threats from marches, Germany opened a research center specializing in marches in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which was the victim of a failed attack with a march equipped with explosives nearly two weeks ago.
German Interior Minister Alexander Durbent warned during the opening of the center at the airport in Magdeburg, the state capital, that Germany is “a daily victim of hybrid attacks from external forces trying to destabilize it through espionage, sabotage and manipulation operations,” and added that “whoever targets Germany strikes all of Europe.”
Durbent pointed out that finding a drone equipped with explosives at Leipzig Airport in the same state emphasized the urgent need to take defensive measures in this area. Durbent said that the center's goal is to help win "the arms race between defensive drone technology and counter-drones technology through innovation and research," adding that the center will be "a key element in the security architecture to address the hybrid threat posed by drones."
The center, which bears the name “Drone Safety Technology Center,” will be under the leadership of the German Aerospace Center. Research Minister Dorothy Baer, who participated in the opening of the center, said that Germany “is distinguished by its outstanding performance in the field of basic research, but we simply need to accelerate the pace of scientific application of that research.” She pointed out that technologies for drone systems and responding to them are developing “very quickly,” adding that the center “aims to help evaluate new methods in the early stages and continue developing them and transforming them more quickly into practical applications.” The German government will invest approximately 10 million euros in the coming years to expand research in the field of countering marches.
The authorities at Leipzig Airport found a drone loaded with explosives a few meters away from a Ukrainian cargo plane on the night of Wednesday, August 5. Initial investigations showed the presence of highly explosive nitrate in the march, in addition to a detonator for remote detonation. The authorities believe that the march did not explode; Because the detonator stopped working. Immediately upon discovering the march, the authorities sent a robot to conduct the first examination and prepare for a planned explosion.
The authorities later found traces of DNA on the march, which led it to a place in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where investigators believe that whoever was running it was there. Authorities are searching the area around the area for the suspect who was flying the plane. According to the German newspaper Bild, the DNA found matches that found at the site of the arson attack that occurred in July 2024 at a DHL logistics center in Leipzig. At that time, an incendiary device was found inside a package, where it ignited spontaneously.
Although Germany did not point the finger at any party, suspicions swirl around Russia. American media reported that American intelligence believes that Russia is responsible for the failed attack at Leipzig Airport. The Wall Street Journal quoted sources who said they were familiar with US intelligence reports that the Russian government was most likely responsible for the march. CNN quoted American officials in Europe as saying that American intelligence had concluded that Russian intelligence was responsible for the march.
In its annual report last June, German domestic intelligence warned of the increase in sabotage operations linked to Russian intelligence inside Germany, and said that these operations have increased since the war in Ukraine. Germany is the largest arms supplier to Ukraine, after the United States fell to second place since President Donald Trump entered the White House.
Incidents of finding drones near airports or vital centers are frequent in Germany, although this was the first time that a drone prepared to explode was found two weeks ago. Hacking operations into government centers are also repeated, in which Berlin usually points the finger at the Kremlin, the most recent of which occurred a few days ago in two ministries in the local state of Berlin. The Internet was disrupted, and internal electronic correspondence in the Ministries of Transport and Planning of the Berlin local government stopped after they were exposed to hacking operations last weekend. The two ministries were separated from the state network for security reasons, and to prevent further damage. The Berlin newspaper Tages Spiegel reported that the attack may have affected more than one building, and that data may have been leaked, but sources told the newspaper that the geographic data that was leaked was already available to the public. Berlin Brandenburg Radio reported that “sensitive data” had been hacked, noting that the attackers “apparently exploited a vulnerability in information technology systems” to launch the cyberattack.
Investigations are still underway to determine who was responsible for the attack, and the internal network in the two affected ministries has not yet returned to work. Information experts have been warning for years that local administrations in Berlin and other states are not equipped to deal with security breaches, and that the systems they use are weak and insufficient to protect them from these attacks.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova condemned, on Monday, the violation of the country’s airspace by an unidentified aerial object that later exploded. Moldova shares a border with Ukraine, and supports it in its war against Russia. Moldova has dealt with several incidents of drones flying over its territory, in addition to the discovery of debris near the border.
The authorities in Moldova said that the air object entered the country's airspace, and exploded a short time later near the town of Talmaza, adjacent to the border with Ukraine. They added that the explosion caused some grasses to catch fire, but without causing any casualties. The authorities did not specify the source of the air object. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “This incident constitutes a serious violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova.” Moldova, and poses a direct threat to the safety of our citizens. Such incidents are unacceptable.”
Moscow delivered a strongly worded protest to Japan's ambassador, on Tuesday, over what it described as anti-Russian comments made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in the context of a dispute over a group of islands under Moscow's control off the northeastern coast of Japan, according to Reuters.
Moscow's summoning of the Japanese ambassador, Akira Muto, is the latest development in a heated dispute between the two countries after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited one of the disputed islands last week.
The Soviet Union took control of the four islands, which Russia calls the “Southern Kuril Islands” and Japan refers to as the “Northern Territories,” in the days following Japan’s surrender in World War II.
Russia controls and administers these islands, but Tokyo still claims them. Takaichi said last week that Putin's visit "hurts the feelings of the Japanese people, and is completely unacceptable."
Mikhail Galuzin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, handed Moscow's protest to the Japanese ambassador, informing him that Moscow objected to "anti-Russian" comments made by Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
The ministry said in a statement issued after the meeting: “The Russian side confirmed that Russia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the South Kuril Islands is indisputable.”
The ministry stated that the islands belong to Russia by law, adding that “any attempts by the Japanese side to directly or indirectly question this clear fact are completely unacceptable and illegal.”
Relations between Russia and Japan are experiencing tension due to a dispute over 4 of these islands, which were seized by the Soviet army in 1945 during the last days of World War II. Japan claims sovereignty over it, while Russia considers it part of its territory.
The Russian President visited the islands last week. This angered Japan, which summoned the Russian ambassador at the time.
This is the first visit by a Russian president to the islands since Dmitry Medvedev's visit in 2010, when Vladimir Putin was Prime Minister.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that the islands “are considered an integral part of Japanese territory, both historically and under international law.”
Moscow announced that it summoned the Japanese ambassador, Akira Muto, on Monday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Tokyo "exceeded the limits of decency" by criticizing Putin's visit.
However, Muto did not respond to the summons immediately. Lavrov said: “We were told either that he is not in Moscow, or that he is not in good health... We did not fully understand the situation.”
Following Lavrov’s statements, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the official TASS news agency that the Japanese ambassador “suddenly began to feel better, and will head to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.” The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) reported that Muto did not respond at first; Fearing that Russia would unilaterally dominate the discussions; This makes holding a balanced dialogue difficult.
The Authority added, citing unnamed sources, that Tokyo decided to respond to the summons after internal deliberations.
It is noteworthy that relations between Tokyo and Moscow have deteriorated since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.
Japan has joined other G7 countries in imposing sanctions on Russia and providing non-lethal financial and military aid to Kiev, which, like Washington, recognizes Japanese sovereignty over the disputed islands.
Japan also indirectly supports Ukrainian air defenses by exporting locally manufactured Patriot interceptor missiles to the United States. Which helps compensate for American stocks that were depleted as a result of providing military aid to Kyiv.
Analysts believe that Putin's visit to the Kuril Islands may have been aimed at warning Japan against intensifying its support for Ukraine, specifically regarding the possibility of it directly supplying Patriot missiles, as well as its cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Although Japan has eased restrictions on the export of defense equipment in recent years, it is still unable to directly supply lethal military equipment to a country at war, including Ukraine.
