Russian drones become more active over Ramstein military base in Germany
In early December, drones were spotted over the Ramstein NATO base in Germany, probably performing espionage missions in the interests of Russia, which is part of the Kremlin's hybrid war.
This is reported by SWR radio, Censor.NET informs with reference to Ukrinform.
As noted, these drones could be involved in reconnaissance in the interests of Russia, which is waging a hybrid war against NATO and countries that support Ukraine.
Michael Ebling, Minister of the Interior of Rhineland-Palatinate, noted that modern technologies and flight characteristics of these drones indicate their possible involvement in Russian special services. These drones can reconnoiter military installations and critical infrastructure, including the Ramstein air base and the BASF plant in Ludwigshafen.
Intelligence targets
Experts believe that Russian drones are focused on:
- Detecting the amount of military equipment provided to Ukraine.
- Monitoring the training of the Ukrainian military at the base.
- Identifying weaknesses in critical infrastructure.
SWR terrorism expert Holger Schmidt noted that the activity of Russian drones in Germany has increased since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
"This is not a new phenomenon. Since Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022, German security agencies - i.e. the police, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (counterintelligence), and the Bundeswehr's military counterintelligence service - have been monitoring suspicious activity across the country," he said.
As a reminder, a regular meeting in the Ramstein format will take place on January 9 at the Ramstein air base in Germany. It will be hosted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
