Germany Detected A Swarm Of Drones Over Critical Facilities
- 1.10.2025, 12:12
Authorities suspect them of espionage.
Unidentified drones in Germany have been spotted over critical infrastructure, including a power plant, a military and oil refinery, and a German military base. Authorities assume that the drones were conducting reconnaissance.
A swarm of drones in Germany was detected over the large city of Kiel, the capital of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein on the shore of the Gulf of Kiel in the Baltic Sea, late last week, Der Spiegel wrote on October 1. According to the publication, authorities speculate that the drones were purposely spying on critical facilities such as a power plant, a university clinic and a government residence.
According to an internal memo, two small drones flew over the factory grounds of Thyssenkrupp's naval division around 9 p.m. on Sept. 23. Soon a "group of drones with a main drone" was spotted over the university clinic, and after 22:00, a group of UAVs appeared over the coastal power station and the Northeast Channel.
Even later, a large drone with several smaller drones was spotted over the Bay of Kiel. Journalists also quoted security sources as saying that the drones were spotted over the building where the state parliament headquarters is located and over the Heide oil refinery, which supplies fuel to Hamburg airport.
In addition, an internal memo said that law enforcers noticed parallel flight paths of the drones - probably to measure objects on the ground.
Drones in Germany: what authorities say
The interior minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Sabine Sütterlin-Waak, said authorities were investigating the drone incident on suspicion of espionage, but did not provide details or mention that the drones were flying over critical infrastructure.
According to journalists, unidentified drones were also spotted over the German Armed Forces base in Sanitz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sept. 23, and the following day over the location of the naval command in Rostock. Police spotted several suspicious drones near the seaport of Rostock also on Sept. 29. According to authorities, the large UAVs weighing about 2.5 kg moved "in a coordinated and coherent manner," and their operators could not be found.
The journalists noted that these cases are reminiscent of the appearance of drones in Denmark, which paralyze the work of airports in the country. Danish authorities do not rule out that the incidents are provocations by the Russian Federation.