Drone sightings and Russian threats: Northern Germany upgrades!

Drone sightings and Russian threats: Northern Germany upgrades!

In a worrying development, the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein held a joint cabinet session on July 8, 2025 in order to counteract a worrying increase in suspicious drone survival on critical infrastructures as well as the impending danger of Russian espionage and sabotage. This session is a reaction to the increasingly tense security policy situation, which is characterized by the Ukraine War and the associated military armament in Russia. According to Merkur demand both countries to realign the military and civilian defense.

The Prime Minister of both countries have developed a joint position paper that demands additional funds from the federal government for the protection of state institutions and an improvement in the resilience of the population. The need to catch up in the areas of warning systems, emergency shelters and transport routes is particularly urgent. For example, public shelters in Schleswig-Holstein have been systematically dismantled since 2007, while in Hamburg cyber attacks have already been increasingly registered on the port, which were usually successfully warded off.

hybrid warfare as a new threat

These impending challenges not only come from the air. Security experts warn of a new quality of the threat of Russia, which also takes place under water and in virtual space. The hybrid warfare, which encompasses cyber attacks, sabotage files and targeted disinformation, presents Germany with enormous challenges. According to srf uses these methods to influence German Ukraine policy, which Questions about the security of our infrastructures.

The uncertainty about the assignment of hacker attacks makes the situation even more complicated. If these attacks were recently identified in a clear connection with Russia, the picture overall is diffuse. China also has an increase in attacks on German companies. Disinformation is actively operated to undermine the support of the population for Ukraine. Random information and false reports are now part of the strategy of how br determined.

The role of the authorities and the population

The German security architecture has been classified as inadequate for a long time. Experts say that we should not only act defensively, but also have to develop opportunities to dissuade Russia from its aggressive course. Intensive cooperation between the countries is needed in order to sensitize the civilian population to the current and future threats. In Schleswig-Holstein, a “Taskforce civil defense” has already been launched, while Hamburg is establishing a new organizational unit for crisis management.

We are in a constant race against time. How reliable are our security mechanisms? And how well can we as a society to prepare for hybrid threats? The developments around the Baltic Sea clearly show that it has to be traded faster than ever. The feeling of urgency is reflected in the words of those responsible, who ask for an increase in defense ability to strengthen not only their own institutions, but also the trust of the population.

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OrtNorddeutschland, Deutschland
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