A Russian army plane has flown over a German Navy frigate within the Baltic Sea, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stated on Wednesday.
“The incursion of Russian drones and warplanes deep in Polish and Estonian airspace and the overflight of a German frigate within the Baltic Sea inside a couple of days make it clear that Russia is actually testing borders, together with of NATO states, with rising frequency and depth,” Pistorius stated.
Overflights of ships are thought-about an pointless provocation.
Sources instructed dpa that the “Hamburg” frigate, which is at present collaborating within the ongoing NATO workouts often known as “Neptune Strike,” was concerned.
The 2 overflights are stated to have taken place shortly earlier than and through final weekend.
The third iteration of the Neptune Strike workouts runs from September 22-26, in keeping with NATO. They goal to show the alliance’s “skill to combine high-end maritime strike capabilities, strengthen deterrence and guarantee freedom of navigation throughout crucial waterways.”
The feedback got here as Pistorius known as on lawmakers within the Bundestag, Germany’s decrease home of parliament, to approve the Defence Ministry’s funds for 2026.
The minister stated Russian President Vladimir Putin “needs to impress NATO member states and needs to determine, expose and exploit supposed weak point within the NATO alliance.”
However he’s making a mistake, Pistorius argued.
“The alliance has reacted to the Russian provocations with clear unity and willpower, however on the similar time with the required level-headedness that’s notably essential today.”
The German authorities’s proposals for the 2026 funds embody €82.69 billion ($97.07 billion) from core spending, with an extra €25.51 billion from a particular army fund that was handed within the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The determine compares to €62.43 billion in common spending and €24.06 from the fund in 2025.
