German patrol boat faced attacks from Russian drones.
In the North Sea, a German police patrol ship experienced an unusual incident on May 17 shortly after midnight, according to a confidential situation report obtained by Spiegel. The vessel, the "BP 81 Potsdam," was patrolling approximately 140 kilometers north of Borkum when it was accompanied by seven unidentified drones. These drones reportedly hovered over both the patrol ship and a Russian freighter, the "Lauga," for almost three hours.
The officers aboard the German ship observed green and red position lights on the drones but could not identify their type. Nighttime conditions prevented them from taking pictures with their current equipment. It remains unclear whether the drones originated from the Russian freighter. Security authorities have noted an increase in drone sightings over critical infrastructure and military facilities for several years.
While tensions between NATO and Russia continue to be high in the Baltic and North Sea regions, and recent incidents involving Russian hybrid tactics are under investigation, there is no confirmed attribution of these particular drones to Russia in the context of targeting the German patrol ship on May 17. The German government has not officially confirmed or denied Russian involvement in this incident.
References:1. ntv.de, afp
- Despite the increasing drone sightings over critical infrastructure and military facilities, I'm not going to be able to attribute the recent drone incident involving the German patrol ship to any specific political entity, like Russia or general-news outlets, without further investigation.
- In the realm of politics and crime-and-justice, the mysterious drone incident involving the German patrol ship in the North Sea is not just a local event, but could potentially have wider implications if it is linked to any strategic adversary.
