National Security Council confirms ongoing Russian hybrid threat

Following the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport at the beginning of August, the National Security Council (NSR) once again looked at the threat situation. According to the federal government, the committee assumes that Germany will continue to be the target of “hybrid attacks” by Russia in the future.

Hybrid attacks include measures taken by a state that are below the threshold of an open military attack. These include cyber attacks, acts of sabotage or espionage.

As the Federal Press Office announced after a meeting chaired by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Security Council obtained a comprehensive picture of the situation and continued discussions on possible reactions to future attacks. New steps were therefore decided against espionage and sabotage as well as to protect critical infrastructure. No details were given.

At the same time, the Security Council agreed on steps to reduce strategic dependencies. A rapid amendment to investment review law is planned. In addition, measures should broaden the supply of critical raw materials. “For this purpose, the federal government has created a central funding instrument with the raw materials fund as part of the raw materials policy action plan,” it says. In addition, the Security Council addressed issues of military and civil defense as well as the security policy implications of artificial intelligence.

At the beginning of August, a drone loaded with explosives was discovered at Leipzig Airport, near which Ukrainian cargo planes were located. The airport is a transshipment point for military aid deliveries to Ukraine. According to research by WELT AM SONNTAG, the trail to the suspects led to the Russian military intelligence service GRU.

At the beginning of September, the federal government blamed Moscow for the attempted bomb attack at Leipzig Airport and announced new punitive measures against Russia. These include the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian Cultural Center in Berlin. Moscow rejected the allegations and announced the closure of the German consulate general in St. Petersburg and the Goethe Institute in the country.