Germany's armed forces have classified the threat of Russian sabotage against their own troops and facilities as "significant" for the first time — the second-highest level on their internal threat scale — according to a Bundeswehr assessment reported by German broadcasters WDR and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Wednesday, Reuters reported. A defence ministry spokesperson confirmed the assessment to reporters, saying: "We are noting that we face a significant sabotage threat overall for the Bundeswehr."

The reassessment was triggered by the discovery in mid-September of a crashed drone carrying a tin of high explosives near the Wunstorf air base in Lower Saxony, WDR and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported. The internal document, seen by the two outlets, said Russia had crossed "a previously anticipated red line of harmful intent involving kinetic and/or lethal effects" against Germany and the Bundeswehr through the use of weaponised drones — an allegation Moscow has not accepted.

Investigators believe the Wunstorf drone was aimed at Bundeswehr aircraft, the document is cited as saying. It resembled a drone laden with explosives used in a failed attack at Leipzig/Halle airport in August, which authorities said targeted civilian cargo aircraft and which Germany has blamed on Russia.

The report also cited a pattern of suspected Russian reconnaissance across Germany, including drone overflights of the Arrow 3 missile defence site in Saxony-Anhalt and a camouflaged camera found filming a strategically important railway station in Minden, Westphalia. Intelligence services expect the situation to worsen in the short term, with further actions likely in the near future, the document says, according to WDR and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Moscow denied involvement in the Leipzig incident and has consistently rejected accusations of carrying out sabotage or hybrid attacks in Europe, Reuters reported.