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Nearly 2,000 unidentified drones have been spotted over Germany since the beginning of the year, according to security reports reviewed by Die Welt, BILD and Axel Springer Academy. In a joint investigation, the outlets say they identified a pattern linking many of the drone sightings to the movements of three Russia-linked vessels operating in the Baltic and North seas.
According to the data, German authorities documented 1,072 incidents involving 1,955 unknown drones. The drones most frequently flew over Bundeswehr military sites, NATO training grounds, and critical infrastructure objects. An analysis of shipping routes showed that a small number of vessels were seen in close proximity to drone activity at the same hours the sightings were logged.
One example involves the seven drones sighted on May 16 near the dry cargo ship Lauga, which sails under the Russian flag with an all-Russian crew. When the vessel later arrived in Belgium, authorities boarded and searched the ship, but found nothing. Before reaching German waters, Lauga had stopped in the Syrian port of Tartus, home to a Russian military base, and later in St. Petersburg at a terminal linked to the state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
The investigation, citing leaked documents, reported that Rosatom possesses drones with a flight range of up to 200 kilometers that are equipped with video and thermal-imaging cameras. Officially, they are used for monitoring operations in the Arctic.
Two other vessels under scrutiny, HAV Snapper and HAV Dolphin, are registered to a Norwegian company, but both have repeatedly undergone maintenance at the Pregolya shipyard in Russia's Kaliningrad, while HAV Dolphin’s crew consists entirely of Russians. Large clusters of drone sightings were recorded over Kiel Bay in the southwest Baltic — home to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and other military facilities — at the same time these vessels were in the area.
Security agency reports cited by the investigation say it is unlikely the drones were launched by private individuals: “Certain circumstances indicate…a sophisticated operation requiring substantial financial and logistical resources.” In most cases, the operators of the drones could not be identified.
European intelligence officials told reporters they consider HAV Snapper and HAV Dolphin to be “vessels highly likely operating in Russia’s interests.” Germany’s interior ministry said there is “reason to believe foreign state actors were involved in some of the drone flights.”
Unidentified drones have also been repeatedly seen over military installations and critical infrastructure in other European countries, including Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands.