Germany on alert as drones fly over critical infrastructure in coordinated incidents

Germany is grappling with mounting security concerns following a series of coordinated drone flights over critical infrastructure in the northern states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg–West Pomerania.

The incidents occurred on the night of September 26, when multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were observed flying over strategically sensitive sites, Build reports.

In Schleswig-Holstein, drones were seen above a shipyard in Kiel, a university hospital, a power station, the regional parliament building, and an oil refinery that supplies fuel to Hamburg Airport—raising alarms over potential surveillance or reconnaissance activities.

Internal government documents reportedly describe the drones as flying in “parallel courses,” suggesting a deliberate attempt to systematically map the terrain. The situation appears even more alarming in the neighboring state of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania, where similar drone activity was recorded. In Sanitz and Rostock, UAVs were spotted over military installations, while in the port of Rostock, police observed several large quadcopters—each weighing over 2.5 kilograms—flying in what officials described as a “coordinated manner.”

The origin of the drone operations remains unknown. However, security experts have drawn parallels with recent incidents in Denmark, where drone activity disrupted airport operations. Danish authorities have not ruled out the possibility of Russian involvement, a scenario now being considered in Germany as well.

In response to the escalating threat, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt issued a stark warning about the "increasing threat to Germany’s security" and announced the establishment of a dedicated center to counter unmanned aerial threats. Simultaneously, the Bundestag is preparing new legislation that would authorize the military to neutralize suspicious drones operating outside traditional military zones.

The interior ministry of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein said that drones had been sighted overnight and they were being investigated for possible espionage and sabotage.

"Due in part to recent incidents in Denmark and other European countries, Schleswig-Holstein is in close and ongoing consultation with the federal government and the German armed forces," Schleswig-Holstein's interior minister, Sabine Suetterlin-Waack, said in an emailed statement.

By Vafa Guliyeva