American and European military officials are expressing increasing concern about Russian drone flights over eastern Germany. According to them, the drones are conducting reconnaissance over routes used by the US and allies to transport military aid to Ukraine. This was reported by The New York Times, writes UNN.
Details
According to the NYT material, the collected data could become a tool for a new wave of Kremlin sabotage and help its army at the front.
According to sources, the discussion of this issue took place against the backdrop of a broader campaign of Russian sabotage in Europe. It included arsons at warehouses in Great Britain, attempted attacks on infrastructure facilities in Norway and under the Baltic Sea. Although the number of such incidents sharply decreased in 2024, Western intelligence agencies warn: the threat has not disappeared.
It is more difficult for Russians to act in this situation. But it is quite possible to assume that the Russians are now a little more careful while negotiations are ongoing.
In a March report, Jones noted that from 2022 to 2023, the number of attacks in Europe quadrupled, and the following year, it tripled again. At the same time, in the first half of 2024, only four incidents meeting the criteria for sabotage were recorded. The International Institute for Strategic Studies also confirmed that activity has decreased, but warned that coordinating defense between EU countries remains difficult.
American intelligence regularly shares information with European governments about possible attacks. It was thanks to such warnings that three Ukrainian citizens were detained in May, suspected of cooperating with Russian structures to prepare explosives.
Media report that drone flights are particularly actively recorded in the federal state of Thuringia. Germany is already strengthening anti-drone systems near military bases. According to intelligence, some devices could have been Iranian-made, and some of them were launched from ships in the Baltic Sea.
American officials confirm the fact of the flights, but cannot accurately determine their origin.
This was direct espionage
According to him, Moscow seeks to find out which companies produce weapons for Ukraine and by what routes they are delivered.
If at some point the Russians wanted to become more aggressive and proactive in intelligence gathering, they would know which companies are exporting and which routes are being used. This would be useful if they wanted to conduct sabotage or subversive operations