Russia Deploys Drones to Monitor NATO Supply Routes in Germany
According to American and Western officials, Russia or its proxies are using reconnaissance drones to gather data on the routes used by the United States and its allies to transport military aid through eastern Germany.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to The New York Times.
The information gathered in this way could be used to intensify the Kremlin's sabotage activities and support its troops in Ukraine. American and German officials also discussed specific cases, including the arrest in May of three Ukrainians who, according to investigators, were involved in a conspiracy linked to Russia.
After last year's peak in sabotage, there has been a significant reduction in such activities this year: in the first six months, only four incidents were classified as sabotage or attempted sabotage by Russia.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies confirms that the number of sabotage operations has decreased, although the threat remains due to the difficulties European countries face in coordinating their actions.
According to General Alex G. Grinkevich, commander of US European Command, the decrease in targeted sabotage this year was due to increased public scrutiny and active measures by European law enforcement agencies. The United States provided intelligence to Europe to coordinate actions among NATO countries, which helped prevent a number of potential attacks.
Experts also note that the decline in activity may be linked to diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to hostilities in Ukraine, which further limits Russia's ability to carry out large-scale sabotage on European territory.
At the same time, US and European military officials are increasingly concerned about drone flights in Germany, especially in the eastern German state of Thuringia, where military supply routes pass. The German publication WirtschaftsWoche reported on the build-up of anti-drone systems at military bases and stressed that drone flights near bases pose a serious security threat.
According to Western intelligence officials, drone flights are a form of espionage that allows Russia to gather data on arms manufacturers for Ukraine and supply routes to Poland and beyond. Observation on the battlefield gives the Russian army an idea of what weapons it may encounter and when.
“If at some point the Russians wanted to get more aggressive and forward leaning with that kind of intelligence collection, they know what companies are exporting and what routes are being used,” said Seth Jones, who studies the issue for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It would be useful if they wanted to conduct sabotage or subversive operations.”
As The Gaze informed earlier, the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) reports that Russia is intensifying espionage and destructive activities in Germany.