Over 1,000 suspicious drone flights recorded in Germany in 2025

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has recorded more than 1,000 suspicious drone flights since the beginning of 2025.

Source: German news outlet Welt, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The information comes from an internal federal report on the threat posed by drones as a tool for committing crimes which has been compiled for the first time.

The threat report on drones has been compiled since the beginning of the year and includes all data on suspicious incidents. Information from the German armed forces has also been included. "The most affected areas have been military facilities, airports and other critical infrastructure facilities such as arms manufacturers and port installations," said Holger Münch, the BKA head.

He told German newspaper Bild that there is a "significant threat".

Asked whether the drones are always controlled by Russian actors, Münch replied: "We do not know that with 100% certainty". This is also because even finding and questioning the drone pilots is very difficult. However, in many cases Münch suspects that this is "obviously" state-controlled activity aimed at spreading uncertainty.

In addition to the psychological impact, drone flights can also serve to gather intelligence. Münch specifically mentioned flights over military facilities, saying: "Military facilities in Germany, where Ukrainian soldiers are also being trained and who may have smartphones with them, are often flown over. The drone measures which smartphones are on site and then may be able to detect them again later on the Ukrainian front."

Background:

• Last week, the federal government and the governments of the Länder opened the Joint Drone Defence Centre in Berlin to improve the detection and neutralisation of drones flying illegally. It is scheduled to begin operations in January.
• At the beginning of the month, the federal police were given a drone defence unit, which will soon comprise 130 specialists. It will be deployed at airports, in the capital and across the country near security-sensitive facilities. Among other things, it will use artificial-intelligence-assisted jamming systems and automated interceptor drones.
• German authorities have repeatedly warned that drones pose a security threat, following a series of incursions at airports and military facilities this year.

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