German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared Friday that his country faces a new security reality amid escalating cyberattacks, sabotage attempts, and drone overflights targeting infrastructure and Ukraine supporters.
"We are not at war, but we are no longer at peace either," Merz told entrepreneurs at the Schwarz Ecosystem Summit in Berlin, Ukrinform reports. He listed daily threats including espionage, data center attacks, and assassination attempts against public figures.
Speaking directly to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko in the audience, Merz emphasized that Germany supports Ukraine not just for Ukraine's sake, but "for our freedom" and to preserve "the rule-based order" on the European continent.
Merz described the current moment as "a fundamental shift in political and economic centers of power," noting that "foreign policy today is also domestic policy - they can no longer be distinguished."
The hybrid warfare campaign has extended across NATO's eastern borders in recent weeks. Russian drones violated Polish airspace on 10 September, with 19 drones entering Polish territory.
On 19 September, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, prompting Estonia to invoke NATO Article 4 and request an emergency UN Security Council meeting. The same day, Russian jets also breached the safety zone of Poland's offshore oil platform in the Baltic Sea.
Recent drone intrusions have forced airport closures across Denmark and Norway, with Danish officials warning of more "hybrid attacks" from what Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called a "cowardly enemy."
