Germany is investigating Russia’s involvement in a mysterious swarm of drones spying on a power plant, hospital and military shipyard.
A fuel refinery and a regional parliament were also targeted in what could be the latest example of Moscow’s hybrid war against Nato.
The unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted flying over the facilities in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’s northernmost province, late last week.
An internal government memo, cited by Der Spiegel, the influential German news magazine, claims the critical infrastructure was being measured for size up by the drones’ operators.
Nato allies have come under increasing pressure from Russian-linked hybrid attacks in recent weeks.
This comes on top of accusations of “reckless” violations of the military alliance’s airspace by Russian fighter jets and drones, as tensions escalate between the West and Moscow.
In the latest incident, drones were spotted flying above a military shipyard belonging to Thyssenkrupp, the warship maker, in the port city of Kiel late last Thursday evening.
Shortly afterwards, a “drone network with a mother drone” was spotted over the nearby university hospital.
Similar formations were also spotted over Kiel’s gas-fired Coastal Power Plant and North Baltic Sea Canal, a vital European shipping route.
The Landeshaus Kiel, the state’s parliament, and the Heide refinery, which supplies nearby Hamburg airport with kerosene, were also skimmed over.
It was said the drones flew along in parallel lines to accurately measure the facilities on the ground.
Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, Schleswig-Holstein’s interior minister, said: “Among other things, due to the recent incidents in Denmark and other European countries, Schleswig-Holstein is in intensive and ongoing coordination with the federal government and the Bundeswehr.”
Schleswig-Holstein neighbours Denmark, where unidentified drones brought Copenhagen airport to a standstill last week.
Delays to flights at Vilnius airport in Lithuania and at Oslo airport in Norway have also been triggered by drones.
The UAVs were spotted on the eve of an European Union summit in the Danish capital on Wednesday, where leaders will discuss support for Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and a so-called “drone wall” to protect the continent.
This includes a €140bn (£121.8bn) loan for Ukraine to buy weapons using seized Russian assets in Europe to guarantee the financing.
Also on the negotiating table is the EU’s 19th package of sanctions against Russia. The latest measures aim to hammer Moscow’s much-needed sales of fossil fuels
Ahead of the summit, France’s Emmanuel Macron warned: “We are in a confrontation with Russia, which for several years has been very aggressive in the information space, also during elections, and is increasing its cyber attacks.”
Denmark has banned the use of civilian drones during the two-day leaders’ get-together and called in dozens of Nato allies to watch over the country.
The UK, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Poland and the US are providing anti-drone and surveillance equipment to head-off any repeat attacks.
These include radars, helicopters and a German air-defence frigate docked in the port of Copenhagen.
German and Danish authorities have not yet presented conclusive evidence that the recent drone incidents are linked to Russia.
The Kremlin has denied any involvement in what have been described as “hybrid attacks”.
But this has not stopped European leaders from calling out Moscow over the appearance of mysterious drones in their airspace.
“We still don’t know where they are really coming from,” German chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
“The suspicion is that they come from Russia.”
Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, said: “From a European perspective there is only one country… willing to threaten us and that is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back.”
Analysts say that the “grey zone” tactics deployed by Russia are likely an attempt to deter the West’s support for Ukraine.
Gathering intelligence of critical national infrastructure, like in Germany, is often described as Russian preparation for a war with Nato.
