German drones suspected in Russian spy plot over critical sites

After observing several suspicious drones over an industrial park in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany suspects Russia of spying. As Bild has determined, the Flensburg prosecutor's office is investigating the activities of agents preparing for sabotage.

In the past few days, suspicious drones have been spotted multiple times over critical infrastructure in Germany: a nuclear power plant, a land-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, and chemical plants in Brunsbüttel in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.

According to Bild, the mysterious flying object was last recorded Thursday evening (22 August). The newspaper found out that the police from the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein immediately put officers from Lower Saxony and Hamburg on alert.

The Flensburg prosecutor's office confirms that an investigation has been launched on suspicion of agents' activities for sabotage purposes in connection with repeated drone flights over critical infrastructure in Schleswig-Holstein, prosecutor Bernd Winterfeldt told "Bild".

As the newspaper reports, Russian agents are suspected of preparing to sabotage German critical infrastructure. The drones may come from civilian ships in the North Sea.

According to the newspaper's findings, the criminal police officers working on the case believe that the unidentified drones are Russian Orlan-10, which have a range of about 500 to 600 kilometres and can fly at over 95 kilometres per hour.

A police report accessed by German journalists shows that the drones were seen, among other instances, on 20 August after 00:20 GMT over the industrial park in Brunsbüttel. They also repeatedly violated the no-fly zone over the nuclear power plant.