Moscow’s Invisible Eyes: How Russian Drones Spy on Germany’s Weapons Routes While Kyiv Burns

The shadows of drones glide silently over the snow-covered fields of Thuringia. Invisible to the naked eye but present on the radar screens of German military bases, they circle above those routes where American and European weapons convoys roll eastward day after day. It is a silent war of reconnaissance taking place over German soil – while at the same time, a thousand kilometers away, Russian missiles rain down on Kyiv’s residential neighborhoods.

What Western intelligence services and military experts have been observing for months reads like the script of a spy thriller: drones, presumably manufactured in Iran and operated by Russian agents, systematically collecting information about the supply routes of Ukraine aid. The Bundeswehr calls it a significant security risk. German intelligence suspects that at least part of these unmanned reconnaissance aircraft are launched from ships in the Baltic Sea – a maritime shadow fleet sending its deadly cargo into German airspace.

The great wave of sabotage subsides – but the danger still lurks

Seth Jones of the renowned Center for Strategic and International Studies has documented the numbers meticulously: between 2022 and 2023, the number of Russian sabotage operations in Europe quadrupled. The following year, it tripled again. Warehouses burned in Britain, a dam in Norway was attacked, undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were targeted for destruction. The Kremlin had carried its hybrid war into Western Europe. But then came the surprising turn: in the first six months of this year, Jones registered only four cases that could be clearly classified as Russian sabotage. General Alexus G. Grynkewich, head of US European Command, attributes this decline to increased public attention and the robust efforts of European law enforcement agencies. The transatlantic intelligence cooperation, intensified under the Biden administration and continued under Trump, showed results.

One particularly spectacular success came in May: after a tip from American intelligence services, German investigators arrested three Ukrainians who were allegedly involved in a Russian-orchestrated conspiracy. The perfidious plan: explosive or incendiary devices were to be smuggled onto cargo planes. The packages carried addresses in Ukraine, but the true intent remains shrouded in the fog of intelligence work – were they to unload their deadly cargo already on German soil or only at the destination? Jones sees the current calm mainly as tactical calculation: “The situation has become more difficult for the Russians. But it is not unreasonable to assume that the Russians are now acting more cautiously while negotiations are underway.” The drone flights over Thuringia are “classic espionage” – Moscow is systematically mapping which companies produce weapons, which routes the transports take, when which deliveries reach the Ukrainian front. A treasure trove of information that could be activated at any time: “If the Russians ever want to act more aggressively, they know which companies export and which routes are used. That would be useful for sabotage or infiltration operations.”

Kyiv’s bloodiest day since Alaska – when diplomacy meets missiles

When Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared before the press on Thursday, he brushed aside reports of Russian drones in Germany with a weary smile: “It is hard to imagine. The Germans would clearly see it and hardly remain silent about it. It sounds like another newspaper hoax.” At the same time – the cruel irony of history – the first of 31 missiles struck Kyiv.

It was the 13th day after the much-noted summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska, and Moscow sent its message in the only language it truly masters: raw violence. 598 drones and 31 missiles turned parts of the Ukrainian capital into an inferno. A five-story apartment building collapsed like a house of cards. In the shopping center in the heart of Kyiv, the explosions tore gaping wounds in concrete and steel. The buildings of the EU mission and the British Council – symbols of Western presence – were shredded by shrapnel.

Ukraine’s air defense fought desperately against the metallic hail: 563 drones and 26 missiles could be shot down, but what got through was enough for a bloodbath. 18 dead, including four children. 45 injured. More than 500 rescue workers fought their way through rubble and flames, pulled survivors from the ruins, collected body bags between charred trees. A 21-year-old survivor recounted with a trembling voice how she ran into the basement with her boyfriend as the house above them began to collapse. A neighbor reported his escape through burning car wrecks and choking smoke. Hundreds crowded into subway stations seeking shelter from the bombardment – images reminiscent of the darkest days of World War II.

The diplomacy of helplessness

President Zelenskyy found clear words for what everyone could see: “Russia chooses ballistic missiles instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to keep killing instead of ending the war. And that means Russia still fears no consequences.”

The diplomatic choreography that followed the attack revealed the West’s utter helplessness. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hastily phoned Trump and Zelenskyy, tweeted about “steel porcupines” and demanded Putin return to the negotiating table. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer summoned the Russian ambassador – a gesture as ineffective as a paper sword against a tank. EU Ambassador Katarina Mathernova put it bitterly on X: “Russia’s ‘peace’ last night: a massive strike on Kyiv with drones and missiles. That is Moscow’s true response to peace efforts.”

Trump himself, who before the Alaska summit had demanded a ceasefire as a precondition for peace talks, had changed course after the meeting with Putin. Now talks should begin without a prior ceasefire – a diplomatic victory for the Kremlin. “Every conversation with him is a good conversation,” Trump said of Putin, only to add almost helplessly: “And then, unfortunately, a bomb is loaded onto Kyiv, and I get very angry.” Anger without consequences – that has become the formula of Western Russia policy. While in New York Zelenskyy’s chief of staff and security council chief negotiate security guarantees for a future peace agreement that no one can guarantee, drones continue to glide over Thuringia. They map, they spy, they collect data for the day Moscow decides to escalate its hybrid war again. The sabotage may have declined, but as the International Institute for Strategic Studies warns: the threat remains as long as Europe fails to find a coordinated response.

War has many faces. Sometimes it wears the mask of diplomacy, sometimes it shows itself in burning warehouses or destroyed undersea cables. On this Thursday, it showed its true face in the ruins of Kyiv and in the silent shadows over German soil. It is a war that knows no borders – neither geographical nor moral. And while the West still debates red lines, Moscow has long understood: in this war there are no lines anymore, only targets.

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