Dobrindt Meets Baltic Interior Ministers in Flensburg – Drones in Focus

According to participants, Dobrindt spoke of a serious threat situation. In view of the increasing number of incidents in the Baltic Sea, coordinated action by the littoral states is necessary. The Federal Interior Minister referred to existing formats of cooperation and announced that the exchange of information would be further intensified.

Russian Shadow Fleet on the Sidelines

On the sidelines of the meeting, the interior ministers also discussed the Russian shadow fleet, as the Federal Ministry of the Interior stated. „Die Innenminister sprachen am Rande auch über die russische Schattenflotte." Specifically, the issue is how old merchant vessels under changing flags are being used to circumvent sanctions and endanger sensitive infrastructure such as undersea cables.

The minister did not comment on the identity of possible perpetrators of the drone incidents. „Der Minister äußerte sich nicht zu den Urhebern dieser Angriffe." The background is a series of observations in which unauthorized drones have been spotted near ports, energy facilities, and military bases on the Baltic Sea.

Position on the Perpetrators

According to the Finnish position, the littoral states see themselves in a shared responsibility. Helsinki emphasizes that the Baltic Sea, as a common economic and security space, will only remain stable if all states quickly share their observations and findings with one another. Denmark, Sweden, and the Baltic states had also repeatedly reported similar incidents in recent months.

German Interior Minister Dobrindt also used the meeting in Flensburg to underscore the importance of cross-border police work. According to this, existing cooperations – such as through the joint centers for maritime security – are to be expanded in order to be able to react more quickly to incidents.

Outlook: Further Expert Talks

Observers interpret the format as a signal to Moscow that the Baltic littoral states are sustaining their cooperation against hybrid threats. At the same time, it remains unclear which concrete measures – such as new reporting channels, joint exercises, or technical defense systems – will emerge from the Flensburg meeting.

In the final phase of the meeting, participants agreed, according to consistent reports, to hold further working-level expert talks in the coming weeks. A common situational picture and regular coordination between the national situation centers are to be at the heart of this.