Suspicious drones spotted over base where Ukrainian military are trained in Germany

The German Armed Forces have detected suspicious drones over an air base where Ukrainian military personnel are being trained. The Bundeswehr is investigating the case as espionage.

This is reported by Spiegel, citing an internal report cited by the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Unidentified drones flew over the base in the state of Schleswig-Holstein six times during January 2025. The German military used special obstacles to them, but they were unable to force the drones to land. They were also unable to establish where they came from and who launched them.

The air base in the North Sea is considered a high-security zone, where German and Ukrainian soldiers are training on the Patriot air defense system. The Bundeswehr suggests that the base was spied on because of these exercises. Among the suspects are Russian special services.

This incident alarmed Berlin, because several devices were used at the Schwesing training ground to combat small UAVs, and none of them worked.

• The German government wants to give the Armed Forces the right to shoot down drones. However, only when they threaten people or critical infrastructure. Recently, incidents with unknown drones have increased in Germany. This is attributed to the fact that Ukrainian fighters are being trained in the country.

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