Unidentified drones have been repeatedly spotted over German military bases where Ukrainian soldiers are training, raising concerns about potential espionage, the German tabloid said on Jan. 7, citing sources in government.
At least 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been trained in Germany as of August 2023, with the goal of 10,000 by the end of the year.
Programs have involved general combat training, as well as instruction on advanced equipment like Patriot air defense systems and U.S.-provided Abrams tanks.
Marcus Faber, a member of Germany's parliament, told Bild that “Drones are regularly spotted over the Klietz military training area, where the Bundeswehr (German military) trains Ukrainians (on Leopard 1 tank)."
Faber said that he suspects Russia is behind the drone incursions, but has no concrete evidence to support the claim because no drones have been intercepted.
Other German lawmakers expressed concern about the government's inaction, as a German military commander publicized the issue as far back as October 2022.
"We must not allow Russia to spy on military training areas with drones," said Andreas Schwarz.
Faber said that the Bundeswehr has "a huge amount of catching up to do when it comes to drones," and needs more modern jamming equipment.
Kate Tsurkan
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