Russia reportedly flying drones over US arms routes in Germany
Russia or its proxies are suspected of using drones to spy on arms routes used by the U.S. and its allies in eastern Germany, the New York Times (NYT) and the German outlet WirtschaftsWoche reported on Aug. 28, citing Western officials.
European and U.S. military officials have been increasingly concerned over the flights in the German state of Thuringia, even as Russian sabotage operations in Europe declined in 2025, according to the NYT.
A German military spokesperson confirmed for WirtschaftsWoche that the drone flights near Germany's bases present a security risk.
At least some of the unmanned aircraft were manufactured in Iran — Russia's key military ally and supplier of drones — and German intelligence believes some of them may have been launched from vessels in the Baltic Sea, the German outlet reported.
U.S. officials suspect that Russia or people working for Russian intelligence are responsible for the flights, the NYT wrote.
Their suspected goal is to determine which companies are producing weapons headed for Ukraine and how they are delivered to the country. Western officials also reportedly suspect Moscow might use the information for future sabotage operations in Europe.
Suspected drone activity near training grounds was also reported in Germany last January, while London warned in August 2024 that Moscow may be spying on Ukrainian soldiers training in the U.K.
Recent years have seen the West increasingly raise alarm over suspected Moscow-backed hybrid operations across the European continent designed to undermine military support for Ukraine.
Western officials suspect that Russia was behind arson attacks in Poland, Lithuania, and elsewhere, sabotage of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, and dispatches of incendiary parcels across European countries.
While these cases surged between 2022 and 2024, sabotage operations have significantly dropped this year, the NYT wrote. Experts and intelligence officials connect this to increased security measures and renewed diplomatic activity on ending the war.
