Germany to counter drone surveillance activities: Foreign minister

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced Wednesday that Berlin will implement new measures to counter drones suspected of conducting surveillance on critical infrastructure amid escalating tensions with Russia.

“We must defend ourselves against them. These are violations of sovereignty that are unacceptable,” Wadephul told a press conference in Berlin. “This is a new dimension in the air. We must now adapt our defensive measures very quickly so that we can react more quickly,” he said.

German public broadcaster NDR reported Wednesday that investigators detected multiple unidentified drones in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein last week. According to officials, these aerial devices appeared to be conducting surveillance on critical facilities, including government buildings, a military shipyard, a refinery, a power plant, and a university hospital.

Wadephul said Germany's Interior Ministry, in collaboration with the Defense Ministry, has begun drafting new legislation to establish the legal framework for countering such spying drones. "We also need to rapidly develop the technical capabilities to ensure this can be implemented effectively," he added.