Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) sees Germany facing major security challenges. “We are not at war, but we are also no longer at peace,” Merz said Monday evening at an event hosted by the Rheinische Post in Düsseldorf. He referred to recent drone incidents in Europe and identified Russia as a potential source.
“There have been overflights over critical infrastructure in Denmark and also in Schleswig-Holstein,” Merz said. “We still do not know exactly where they are coming from. The suspicion is that they are from Russia.” In response, the federal government plans to amend the Aviation Security Act to allow the Bundeswehr to assist police if necessary.
Merz also highlighted the difficulties in shooting down drones: “Even if we were optimally prepared, we are a densely populated country. Eight-meter-wide drones cannot simply be taken out of the sky without the risk of them falling into a garden, a kindergarten, or a hospital. We have to be careful. Ideally, they shouldn’t enter European airspace at all.”
In recent weeks, NATO members Poland, Estonia, and Romania reported incursions of Russian drones or military aircraft into their airspace. NATO described these actions as deliberate provocations by Moscow, while the Kremlin denied the allegations. In Denmark, where EU heads of state and government are meeting this week, several drone incidents led to temporary airport closures. On Friday night, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) reported “drone swarms detected over Schleswig-Holstein.”
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