Baltic Sea countries plan joint drone defence task force amid growing hybrid threat

Countries bordering the Baltic Sea are planning to set up a joint drone defence task force that will allow them to respond quickly to the growing threat of hybrid attacks.

Source: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, as cited by Reuters and European Pravda

Details: The aim is to create a working group that will enable the rapid exchange of information, Dobrindt said ahead of a meeting with his counterparts from the Baltic region in the city of Flensburg.

"Foreign states are trying every day to attack and undermine democracy, security and economic strength within the EU," Germany's Interior Minister said.

He warned that such attacks could "take on a new dimension in the coming months" and that the hybrid threat is "omnipresent".

Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic Sea, which borders eight NATO countries (Germany, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark) as well as Russia, has seen numerous suspected acts of sabotage involving underwater cables and critical gas pipelines.

Germany has been particularly vigilant about drone-related threats after one drone carrying explosives was discovered earlier this month near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used to transport military equipment at Leipzig/Halle Airport, an important military logistics hub.

Background:

• German investigators also suspect that a second drone may have collided with a DHL cargo aircraft that night, shortly after the airport was temporarily closed.
• On 25 August, it emerged that law enforcement officers had found another drone carrying explosives, which was reportedly involved in the incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
• German authorities suspect possible Russian involvement in the incident, although the origin of the drones has not yet been established.

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