Drone sightings and Russian threats: Northern Germany is arming!

Drone sightings and Russian threats: Northern Germany is arming!

In a worrying development, the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein held a joint cabinet meeting on July 8, 2025 to address a worrying increase in suspicious drone overflights over critical infrastructure and the looming threat of Russian espionage and sabotage. This meeting is a response to the increasingly tense security situation, which is characterized by the war in Ukraine and Russia's associated military buildup. Loud Mercury Both countries are calling for a realignment of military and civilian defense capabilities.

The prime ministers of both countries have drawn up a joint position paper that calls for additional funding from the federal government to protect state institutions and improve the resilience of the population. The need to catch up is particularly urgent in the areas of warning systems, emergency shelters and transport routes. Public shelters in Schleswig-Holstein have been systematically dismantled since 2007, while in Hamburg an increasing number of cyber attacks have been recorded on the port, although these have generally been successfully repelled.

Hybrid warfare as a new threat

These looming challenges do not just come from the air. Security experts warn of a new quality of threat from Russia, which also takes place under water and in virtual space. Hybrid warfare, which includes cyberattacks, acts of sabotage and targeted disinformation, poses enormous challenges for Germany. Loud SRF Russia is using these methods to influence Germany's Ukraine policy, which inevitably raises questions about the security of our infrastructure.

The uncertainty about attribution of hacker attacks makes the situation even more complicated. While these attacks were most recently identified as having a clear connection to Russia, the overall picture is diffuse. An increase in attacks on German companies is also being noticed from China. Disinformation is being actively pursued to undermine popular support for Ukraine. Random information and false reports are now part of the strategy BR determines.

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 develop ways to dissuade Russia from its aggressive course. Intensive cooperation between countries is needed to sensitize the civilian population in particular to current and future threats. A “Civil Defense Task Force” has already been set up in Schleswig-Holstein, while Hamburg is setting up 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 prepare ourselves against hybrid threats? The developments around the Baltic Sea make it bitterly clear that action must now be taken faster than ever before. The sense of urgency is reflected in the words of those responsible, who ask for an increase in defense capabilities in order to strengthen not only their own institutions but also the trust of the population.