The head of the German Federal Criminal Police (FKP), Holger Munch, said that by mid-December this year, more than 1,000 suspicious drone flights had been recorded in Germany, DPA reported, BTA reported.
The agency is compiling a national assessment of suspicious cases since the beginning of the year, using all available data and cooperating with the armed forces, Munch told the newspaper “Bild“.
The FKP head said that the cases most often affect military facilities and airports, but “also other critical infrastructure, such as defense companies and port facilities facilities“.
When asked whether drone flights could always be attributed to Russia, Munch said that this could not be determined with complete certainty, and pointed out how difficult it is to identify and interrogate drone operators.
Germany on Wednesday opened a Joint Drone Protection Center in Berlin to better detect and neutralize illegal drones in the future. The center will begin operating in January.
Earlier this month, Germany's federal police were tasked with setting up a drone protection unit, which will consist of around 130 specialized officers.
The unit will be deployed at airports, in the capital and across the country near sensitive sites and is expected to use artificial intelligence-supported jamming systems and automated drone interceptors.