Europe is in a “drone armory race”, warns Germany. Exercise with the scenario “a conflict in escalation in the Baltic Region”

The German Minister of Internal Affairs, Alexander Dobrint, warned on Thursday that Europe is in a “drone armory race” and has alarmed signal on a hostile Russia, AFP reports.

As he spoke in Parliament, the German armed forces launched a three-day exercise, entitled “Red Storm Bravo”, in the North Hamburg, meant to simulate the movements of NATO troops in case of conflict in a Baltic country.

Germany, a powerful supporter of Ukraine in front of Russia, has faced in recent months an increase in the number of flights with unidentified drones above military bases and critical infrastructure.

Invoking hybrid threats and “aggression” from Russia, the German Minister of Internal Affairs said that the country consolidates its “operational capabilities by developing drone defense systems”.

“We are employed in a race of arming between the threat represented by the drones and their means of counteracting them,” Dobindt said, invoking the recent incidents in Romania, Poland, Denmark and Norway.

He said that Germany will stimulate investments and change its aviation safety rules in order to “detect, defend and intercept”.

Berlin accuses Russia of carrying out sabotage, espionage, supervision and destabilization operations. However, so far, the German authorities have been reluctant to lower the drones of fear that their fragments could cause victims.

The war with drone has been a central aspect of the conflict in Ukraine, and the NATO countries that are bordering with Russia hope to build a “wall of defense against drones” – a network of technological and military solutions to counteract these aerial threats.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took over in May, announced ambitious plans to strengthen the armed forces, invoking the threat represented by Russia.

Hundreds of troops at the Hamburg exercise

The military exercise in Hamburg involves about 500 soldiers, as well as police, firefighters and other emergency services, and includes a convoy of armored vehicles that cross the city.

“In the fictional scenario of the Red Storm Bravo exercise, we have the premise of a conflict in the Baltic region,” said a spokeswoman for the German army, or Bundeswehr. “To get effective discouragement, troops and personal will be carried out through Hamburg,” she added.

Far from the public's eyes, an exercise will simulate an “incident with mass victims” in a port area, the local press said.

Protests organized by left -hand groups, under the slogan “No war games in Hamburg”, are expected on Friday in front of the town hall and on Saturday near the Central Station.