Chancellor Merz warns of serious hybrid attacks from Russia, amid political pressures in Germany

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the country is preparing for major hybrid attacks from Russia.

German authorities have repeatedly warned that Russia is carrying out a hybrid campaign of drone and cyber attacks, accusing Moscow of being behind an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport in August.

“We are preparing for further hybrid attacks, including serious ones,” Merz said in a speech marking the award of the 2026 Westphalian Peace Prize to the NATO alliance.

Moscow has rejected the accusations from Western governments and intelligence services.

Speaking before a forum of Russia experts on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was not ready to attack foreign factories producing weapons for Ukraine, but that this was something Russian intelligence services had to follow closely.

Merz and his conservatives have been badly weakened by elections in two eastern German states last month, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) triumphed.

The AfD has criticised Germany and its Western allies for supporting Ukraine with billions of euros in military aid. It wants to repair ties with Moscow and restore the flow of cheap oil and gas interrupted since 2022.