Germany raises Russian sabotage threat level after armed drone found near air base

Germany's armed forces have classified the threat of Russian sabotage against its troops and facilities as "significant" for the first time, the second-highest level on the military's internal threat scale.

The reclassification followed the discovery in mid-September of a crashed drone carrying high explosives near the Wunstorf air base in Lower Saxony. Germany's defense ministry spokesperson confirmed the assessment, stating: "We are noting that we face a significant sabotage threat overall for the Bundeswehr."

An internal military document reviewed by Süddeutsche Zeitung states that Russia had crossed "a previously anticipated red line of harmful intent involving kinetic and/or lethal effects" against Germany through the use of weaponized drones.

Berlin had previously attributed an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport in August to Russia. Investigators believe both the Wunstorf and Leipzig drones were similar, though the Wunstorf device targeted Bundeswehr aircraft while the Leipzig incident involved a civilian cargo aircraft used for military supplies.

The military report also cited suspected Russian reconnaissance across Germany, including drone overflights of the Arrow 3 missile defense site in Saxony-Anhalt and a camouflaged camera found filming a strategically important railway station in Minden, Westphalia.

Intelligence services expect the situation to worsen in the short term. Preventive measures will be tailored to individual sites, ranging from increased guard patrols to infrared cameras and fence surveillance systems.