German minister says country faces daily hybrid warfare attacks

Leipzig, Germany. Germany faces daily hybrid warfare attacks from abroad, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, following a suspected attempt involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. He said foreign powers were seeking to create fear and destabilise the country politically and socially.

Minister’s assessment

In an interview with Bild am Sonntag published on Sunday, Dobrindt said Germany was not at war but was “the daily target of hybrid warfare”.

“Espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, or covert operations by foreign powers aimed at destabilising Germany or inflicting direct harm are a constant reality,” he said.

The newspaper’s advance release of the interview did not state whether Dobrindt identified any countries.

Leipzig drone incident

An explosive-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany on Tuesday. Some German lawmakers blamed Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since its military invasion of the country in 2022.

The Russian embassy in Berlin on Friday described the Leipzig incident as a “fabricated provocation” and said it was another example of accusations against Russia without evidence.

Dobrindt, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union, called the Leipzig incident a “hybrid attack scenario” and left open the possibility of foreign involvement.

Further sightings

Germany’s armed forces said on Saturday that two drones had been spotted late on Thursday over a military base site in Mechernich, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Dobrindt said Germany was expanding drone research as part of its response to the new threats.