I droni russi volano su percorsi di armi statunitensi in Germania, dicono i funzionari

non-paywall gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/us/politics/russian-drones-weapons-routes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hk8.VslS.l2dUiffhvibL

**U.S. and European military officials are increasingly concerned about the flights, even as Russian acts of sabotage have declined.**

Russia or its proxies are flying surveillance drones over routes that the United States and its allies use to ferry military supplies through eastern Germany, collecting intelligence that could be used to bolster the Kremlin’s sabotage campaign and assist its troops in Ukraine, according to U.S. and other Western officials.

U.S. and German officials have been discussing Russian sabotage efforts, including information that led to the arrest in May of three Ukrainian men accused in a Russia-linked plot, the officials said.

The Russian sabotage campaign has led to fires at [warehouses in Britain](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/26/us/politics/russia-sabotage-campaign-ukraine.html), an attack against a dam in Norway, [attempts to cut cables under the Baltic Sea](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/world/europe/baltic-sea-cable-sweden.html) and an array of operations intended to bring the war in Ukraine closer to the heart of Europe and to undermine support for Kyiv.

After hitting a high last year, Russian sabotage acts have fallen off significantly this year, experts and Western intelligence officials said. That is at least partly the result of heightened security in Europe, and efforts by U.S. and European intelligence services to prevent attacks.

The drop also likely reflects a swirl of diplomatic activity to negotiate an end to the fighting in Ukraine.

“The landscape is more difficult for Russians to operate,” said Seth Jones, who studies the issue for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But it’s not unreasonable to assume the Russians are a bit more cautious now while there are negotiations.”

Mr. Jones noted in [a report](https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-shadow-war-against-west) published in March that Russian attacks in Europe quadrupled between 2022 and 2023, then tripled again between 2023 and 2024. But Mr. Jones tracked a significant drop-off in the first six months of this year, with only four incidents qualifying as sabotage or attempted sabotage by Russia.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies also said in a [report](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/world/europe/russia-hybrid-attacks-europe.html) this month that sabotage operations this year had declined, but that the threat remained as Europeans struggled to coordinate a response.

In written testimony to the Senate in June, Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, now the head of U.S. European Command, said targeted sabotage incidents had declined this year “due to heightened public scrutiny and robust law enforcement efforts by European authorities.”

During the Biden administration, the United States provided intelligence to Europe to help push for a united front across NATO countries. The intelligence sharing has continued under the Trump administration.

U.S. spy agencies have been providing information to European governments about potential sabotage actions, according to people briefed on the discussions. That has included a warning to German intelligence officials about a plot to send explosives or incendiary devices on cargo planes transiting Germany.

The warning resulted in the arrest of the [three Ukrainian nationals in Germany and Switzerland](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/world/europe/3-are-arrested-in-russia-linked-sabotage-plot-germany-says.html#:~:text=The%20men%2C%20Ukrainian%20nationals%2C%20were,identified%20only%20as%20Vladyslav%20T.). The federal prosecutor’s office in Berlin said in a statement at the time that the plan appeared to be part of a plot to damage logistical infrastructure for commercial freight.

But hey russia is a friend of the Trump administration

>Mr. Jones said the drone flights over supply routes were “straight-up espionage,” as Russia tries to learn what firms are manufacturing weapons for Ukraine

Hardly surprising. It’s war and intel about these things is precious. I also 100% expect that Ukraine and the U.S. do espionage inside Russia to locate their factories, weapon depots etc.

So Russian drones are flying over military in Germany and we all just sit here and chat about it.

Let’s fly some US and German drones directly over Russia and see if they just chat about it, or do they shoot them down?

The more im reading about how EU behaves militarily when shit like this happens, the more I think a russian toddler can just crawl into Berlin with a full diaper and take the country over.

The Germans will deliberate about it for a long time and do nothing.

Well, time to send a fax and address NATO at the 2035 summit!