The countries bordering the Baltic Sea plan to create a joint drone defense task force that will allow them to respond quickly to the growing threat of hybrid attacks, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Friday, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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Since the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, numerous incidents have occurred in the Baltic Sea, which borders eight NATO countries and russia.
The aim is to create a working group that will ensure a rapid exchange of information, Dobrindt said ahead of a meeting in the northern German city of Flensburg with his counterparts from the Baltic Sea countries.
"Foreign states are trying every day to attack and undermine democracy, security and economic strength in the EU," the interior minister said in a statement on the purpose of the meeting.
He warned that such attacks could "take on a new dimension in the coming months," and that the hybrid threat is "omnipresent."
Germany has been particularly vigilant about threats involving drones after one of them carrying explosives was discovered earlier this month at Leipzig/Halle Airport—a major military logistics hub.
German officials have not publicly accused any foreign country of involvement in the incident, although some lawmakers pointed the finger at russia, which dismissed the incident as a "fabricated provocation."
Another drone and explosives found near Leipzig Airport - media25.08.26, 11:33