Bild: 1000 drones over Germany sowed uncertainty and monitored Ukrainians 0 10

The Federal Criminal Police Office has recorded more than 1000 flights of suspicious drones in Germany since the beginning of this year. This was reported by the head of the BKA, Holger Münch, in an interview with the tabloid Bild.

According to him, most often these are UAVs flying over military sites, airports, or critical infrastructure such as defense enterprises or ports.

Some reports of suspicious drones turn out to be erroneous. Furthermore, not every drone is linked to Russia, Münch noted. This year, the BKA has recorded nearly a hundred drone pilots, although some of them managed to escape. In some cases, the German police were convinced that the drones were operated not by amateurs, but by professionals.

What are those behind such drone flights trying to achieve? According to Münch, they want to sow a sense of uncertainty among the population. "When it is obvious that the operation is conducted with state involvement, an incredible number of reports follow, leading to an increase in the feeling of uncertainty among the population," he explains.

Another goal of the drone operators may be information gathering, says the head of the agency. "Satellites can be used for this, but they may not capture everything. Often in Germany, drones fly over military sites where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained. They may have smartphones with them. The drone records which smartphones are in that location and then, presumably, can identify them on the Ukrainian front," Münch explains.