German state turns to Ukraine for help countering Russian hybrid threats
The German state of Baden-Württemberg has signed agreements with Ukraine to exchange intelligence on espionage, drones and cybercrime and train German police using Ukraine’s experience countering hybrid threats.
The information exchange between Ukrainian intelligence and Baden-Württemberg is expected to begin next week, the state’s Interior Minister Manuel Hagel told Bild during a visit to Kyiv.
“This is a milestone in the fight against hybrid threats from Russia,” Hagel said. “We finally need to become capable of defending ourselves against such threats.”
Hagel also visited a training facility in Kyiv where Ukrainian specialists simulate drone attacks. Under a separate agreement between Baden-Württemberg police and Ukraine’s National Police, German officers will train there in the future.
The cooperation comes amid growing concern over suspected Russian hybrid operations in Germany.
Since the beginning of 2026, German authorities have recorded 165 suspected sabotage cases and 747 incidents involving suspicious drones over military facilities and critical infrastructure, according to a confidential Federal Criminal Police Office report cited by Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Earlier this month, the German government formally blamed Russia for an incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in which a drone carrying explosives struck a Ukrainian aircraft but failed to detonate.
- Share: