Drone Spotted Over NATO Country
There’s some alarming news out of Germany, where authorities are investigating a series of drone flights suspected to be Russian surveillance over key nuclear infrastructure in the north of the country.
These drones, which have yet to be definitively identified, were spotted flying over nuclear power facilities in Brunsbüttel, a city located north of Hamburg near the North Sea. This situation has raised serious concerns about potential espionage or sabotage activities.
According to reports from the German newspaper Bild, the Flensburg public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into these mysterious drone flights. They are specifically looking into “agent activity for sabotage purposes” in connection with the repeated drone sightings. The Schleswig-Holstein state criminal police agency suspects that these drones might be Russian Orlan-10s, a model previously used by Russia for surveillance and espionage missions.
Now, it’s important to note that the airspace over Germany’s nuclear infrastructure is a designated no-fly zone, yet internal police documents have revealed that this restricted zone has been breached multiple times in the past month. This breach has understandably set off alarm bells, particularly given the sensitive nature of the sites involved.
Germany has been ramping up its defenses against potential sabotage in recent months. Just recently, on August 14, a military base in Cologne was partially closed off after an unknown suspect broke in and tampered with the water supply. While there’s still no clear indication of who was behind that breach, it underscores the heightened state of alert in the country.
Germany has also been one of Europe’s staunchest supporters of Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. Earlier this year, German officials announced a significant $542 million arms package for Ukraine, including ammunition for the IRIS-T air-defense system, which has been critical in countering Russian air strikes. As part of this support, Germany recently gave Ukraine the green light to use these weapons in its Kursk offensive.
Drones have played a significant role on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine. Ukraine has used them aggressively to target Russian infrastructure, while Russia has relied on drones like the Orlan-10 for surveillance and espionage. These drones have a range of 500 to 600 kilometers and can fly at speeds over 100 kilometers per hour, making them a potent tool for monitoring and, potentially, for carrying out attacks.
The ongoing war has seen drones being used to strike Russian oil supplies and other critical infrastructure.
Just recently, on August 18, a drone strike on the Proletarsk state reserve fuel facility in Russia caused a massive fire that took more than 500 firefighters three days to control. And in an even bolder move, drone attacks have reached Moscow itself, with Russia claiming to have destroyed 45 drones flying over the capital on August 21.