Reports emerging on August 28, 2025, from major outlets such as The New York Times, Reuters, and Germany’s WirtschaftsWoche have set off alarm bells across European and American defense circles. According to these sources, Russia—or proxies acting on its behalf—are suspected of flying surveillance drones over supply routes used by the United States and its allies to deliver military aid through eastern Germany. The epicenter of these flights appears to be the state of Thuringia, a key hub for arms shipments bound for Ukraine.
Western officials, quoted by The New York Times, express growing concern that these drone missions are not just routine reconnaissance. Instead, they believe the Russians are gathering intelligence to bolster ongoing sabotage campaigns and to provide direct support to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The suspected espionage is seen as part of a broader Kremlin effort to undermine Western military support for Kyiv and destabilize European resolve.
“The landscape is more difficult for Russians to operate,” said Seth Jones, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, whose research has tracked a dramatic rise—and more recently, a sharp decline—in Russian sabotage acts across Europe. “But it’s not unreasonable to assume the Russians are a bit more cautious now while there are negotiations.”
German authorities have confirmed the security risk. A spokesperson for the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, told WirtschaftsWoche that drone flights near military installations pose a significant threat. In response, Germany has been ramping up its anti-drone defenses at key bases, though officials admit that keeping pace with evolving drone technology is a constant challenge. “This is a constant technical cat-and-mouse game between what drone developers do and what we can do,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters in Berlin. “We are fully aware of the challenge and are doing everything we can in the short time available, but yes, the fact that drones are also flying over ports and railway facilities should come as no surprise to anyone. However, there is not much we can do about it.”
The provenance of the drones has raised eyebrows as well. At least some of the unmanned aircraft are believed to be manufactured in Iran, a key Russian military ally and supplier of drones. German intelligence officials suspect that some flights may have originated not from German soil, but from vessels stationed in the Baltic Sea, further complicating efforts to track and intercept them.
Between January and March 2025, German authorities recorded 270 incidents involving 536 unidentified drones, according to Bild. In at least 55 cases, two or more drones were spotted simultaneously, with most activity concentrated in the evenings and nights—often around military facilities such as the naval base in Wilhelmshaven and the Ramstein air base. U.S. officials have confirmed the existence of these flights but admit they have been unable to definitively trace their origins, though suspicion remains firmly pointed at Russian intelligence operatives or their proxies.
The drone flights are just the latest development in a broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations across Europe. As reported by The New York Times and Reuters, Western intelligence agencies have linked Moscow to a series of sabotage efforts in recent years. These have included arson attacks in Poland and Lithuania, fires at warehouses in Britain, an attack on a dam in Norway, attempts to disrupt undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, and even the dispatch of incendiary parcels across several European countries. The goal, officials say, is to bring the war in Ukraine closer to the heart of Europe and to undermine support for Kyiv.
One notable case unfolded in May 2025, when German and Swiss authorities arrested three Ukrainian men accused of plotting sabotage in a scheme allegedly linked to Russia. The plan involved sending explosives or incendiary devices on cargo planes transiting Germany, with the intention of damaging logistical infrastructure. The federal prosecutor’s office in Berlin said at the time that the plot was designed to disrupt commercial freight routes—though it remained unclear whether the intended targets were in Ukraine or if the devices were meant to detonate within Germany.
Despite the alarming nature of these incidents, experts and Western intelligence officials say that Russian sabotage acts have actually declined significantly in 2025. This drop, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies and U.S. military testimony, can be attributed to heightened security measures across Europe and more robust law enforcement efforts. General Alexus G. Grynkewich, now head of U.S. European Command, told the U.S. Senate in June that “targeted sabotage incidents had declined this year due to heightened public scrutiny and robust law enforcement efforts by European authorities.” The decrease may also reflect a flurry of diplomatic efforts aimed at negotiating an end to the fighting in Ukraine.
The Kremlin, for its part, has flatly denied any involvement. When asked about the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, “It’s hard to imagine this, because then the Germans would have seen it clearly and they would hardly have kept quiet. So, of course, all this looks more like another newspaper fake.” Russia has previously dismissed suggestions that it was behind such sabotage activities, even as Western officials continue to believe otherwise.
For the German government, the threat is being taken seriously. A foreign ministry official told Reuters, “The reports about alleged drone sightings are known to us. We are observing the current developments very closely. We are also in regular exchange with our allies and NATO on this matter.” The White House and the Pentagon have not commented publicly on the matter, but a U.S. defense official told Reuters that the Department of Defense “continually assesses and adjusts its global force posture in response to evolving threats and strategic priorities.”
Intelligence sharing between the U.S. and its European allies has intensified in recent months, with American spy agencies providing information on potential sabotage plots and other threats. These efforts, initiated during the Biden administration and continued under President Trump, are seen as crucial in maintaining a united NATO front and protecting critical infrastructure from covert attacks.
Still, as Seth Jones points out, the intelligence gathered by these drones could be put to more aggressive use in the future. “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,” Jones told The New York Times. “It would be useful if they wanted to conduct sabotage or subversive operations.”
As Europe braces for further hybrid threats, the cat-and-mouse game between Russian operatives and Western security forces continues. The stakes are high—each drone flight over German skies is a stark reminder that the battle for Ukraine has repercussions far beyond the front lines.
