Russia uses drones to track weapons shipments to Ukraine, says NYT
Illustrative photo: Russia may be monitoring arms deliveries to Ukraine (24tv.ua)
Russia or its agents may be flying drones over routes that the US and other NATO countries use to deliver weapons through eastern Germany, The New York Times reports.
According to the outlet, Germany is currently expanding its drone countermeasure systems at military bases.
An unnamed German armed forces official told journalists that drone flights near military bases pose a serious security threat. It was revealed that at least some of the drones were made in Iran, and German intelligence believes that some may have been launched from ships in the Baltic Sea.
American officials confirmed the flights to the NYT but noted that their exact origin could not be determined. They believe that the drones were operated by Russians or individuals working for Russian intelligence.
Seth Jones from the Center for Strategic and International Studies said these flights over supply routes are "straight-up espionage" because Russia is trying to determine which companies produce weapons for Ukraine and how they are transported to Poland and further into Ukraine.
According to him, the collection of information via drones is mostly aimed at gathering battlefield intelligence so the Russian army can assess the type and quantity of weapons it may face, as well as their expected arrival time.
Jones and Western officials warn that if Russia decides to intensify sabotage operations in the future, it could use this data to achieve its objectives.
"If at some point the Russians wanted to get more aggressive and forward-leaning with that kind of intelligence collection, they know what companies are exporting and what routes are being used. It would be useful if they wanted to conduct sabotage or subversive operations," Jones said.
What Rutte says
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, for his part, noted that Russia has significant capabilities for hybrid attacks even in NATO countries.
He suggested that these could be assassinations, interference (jamming) with civil aviation, as well as attempts at cyberattacks against a major NATO country.
Rutte emphasized that Russia is capable of many things and that Western countries should not be naïve on this issue.
Spy drones over Germany
Earlier, Bild reported that unknown drones have repeatedly been spotted near German military bases.
According to unconfirmed data, from January to March this year, 270 such incidents involving 536 drones were recorded.
