Ghost fleet probe: Russia link to German drone sightings
German investigators are examining whether unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) spotted in the north of the country were launched from a vessel in Russia's so-called "ghost fleet," used to circumvent Western sanctions.
The investigation follows the shutdown of Munich Airport for more than seven hours due to unidentified drones, affecting thousands of passengers, according to The Kyiv Independent.
The "ghost fleet" is a term for ships with opaque ownership structures that use flags of convenience to evade Western sanctions and monitoring efforts. The vessel in question, a 100-metre cargo ship flying the flag of a Caribbean state, was operating in the Baltic Sea, near Kiel, when the UAVs were sighted in Schleswig-Holstein. Investigators believe the ship's route and behaviour suggest a possible link.
Security officials told the German magazine Spiegel that the vessel meets the technical requirements for launching and recovering large UAVs, including rigid-wing models with a wingspan of more than four metres.
One such aircraft was seen flying over strategic infrastructure in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein in late September, alongside smaller UAVs. Although the ship was tens of kilometres away and outside German territorial waters during the sightings, its movements raised suspicion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned at the Warsaw Security Forum on 29 September that Russia could use oil tankers in the Baltic Sea to launch UAVs into NATO airspace, the Ukrainian publication noted.
Mr Zelensky had previously urged Europe to block Russian tankers' access to the Baltic Sea, citing Russia's "de facto military activity" against European countries. These concerns come amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO, following UAV and aircraft intrusions in several member countries, including Estonia, Poland, and Romania.
In the most recent incident, unidentified UAVs flying over Munich Airport overnight from Thursday to Friday led to the cancellation and redirection of dozens of flights on the eve of a public holiday, impacting nearly 3,000 passengers and prompting authorities to open an investigation on Friday, Reuters reported.
Operations at Munich Airport resumed on Friday morning, Reuters confirmed, after air traffic was suspended for more than seven hours on the eve of German Unity Day, the country's national holiday.
Munich Airport stated that the UAV overflight on Thursday evening forced air traffic control to suspend operations, resulting in the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting the journeys of almost 3,000 passengers, who were provided with cots, blankets, and food, according to Digi24.
An additional 15 arriving flights were redirected in the region. The public broadcaster BR reported that local and federal police are investigating the incident. The UAVs were observed over the airport late in the evening, a police spokesperson told the newspaper Bild. Due to the darkness, the size and type of the UAVs could not be confirmed, he added.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
