BERLIN, September 6 (Reuters) – Germany is planning a broad package of measures to bolster its defenses against drone attacks, cyber intrusions and other forms of Russian sabotage, after a failed drone attack on an airport last month, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
In an interview with the newspaper “Bild am Sonntag,” which was the first to report the plans, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that Russia’s hybrid attacks had become part of daily life.
“These attacks will increase, but we can defend ourselves and protect ourselves,” Dobrindt said, according to the report.
Russia has long rejected claims that it was conducting operations in Western Europe and denied involvement in the attack on the German airport. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the accusations were “the start of a real war,” according to the state news agency TASS.
According to the ministry’s spokesman, the police’s mobile resources for drone defense would be expanded under the plan. Rapid-deployment drone combat units would be stationed in the cities to protect the airspace above critical transport hubs and government districts.
In addition, companies operating critical infrastructure, such as power utilities and defense manufacturers, would receive legal authorization not only to detect drones, but also to actively repel them.
A national shield of protection, or the “cyberdome,” would be established, involving a network of digital sensors designed to detect and intercept attempts at cyberattacks.
The government also intends to expand the use of AI-powered technologies, biometric facial recognition and video surveillance—for example, at railway stations—to identify suspects who are planning acts of sabotage.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray)
