Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, have raised their assessment of the sabotage threat to military facilities to "significant," the second-highest level in the system. WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported the change after examining internal Bundeswehr documents. Germany's Defense Ministry confirmed that the assessment had been revised.
The increase followed suspicious incidents near military facilities, including the discovery of a drone and explosives in the area of Wunstorf Air Base.
The base is used by the German Air Force and is important to the country's military transport infrastructure.
The revised threat assessment reflects growing concern among German military officials about potential sabotage, espionage and attempts to disrupt defense-related facilities.
German law enforcement and security agencies are investigating several incidents in which suspicions have arisen about possible Russian involvement. However, publicly available information has not conclusively established Russia's responsibility for the incident near Wunstorf.
Raising the threat level does not mean that every incident under investigation was organized by the same actor. It represents a risk assessment and a determination that additional protective measures are needed at military facilities.
The Bundeswehr's decision marks a new development amid investigations into suspected Russian sabotage activities in Europe.