Baltic Sea nations plan drone defence task force, Germany says

FLENSBURG, Germany, Aug ‌28 (Reuters) - The ​countries ​bordering the Baltic Sea plan to establish a joint task force for drone defence that ‌will allow them to react quickly in the ⁠face of the growing threat of hybrid attacks, said German ‌Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt ‌on Friday.

Numerous incidents of possible sabotage affecting undersea cables and critical gas pipelines have taken place in ​the Baltic Sea, bordered by eight NATO countries and Russia, since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion ⁠in Ukraine in 2022.

The goal is to set up a task force that ​allows quick information exchange, said Dobrindt ahead of a meeting in the northern German ​city of Flensburg with his ‌Baltic Sea counterparts.

"Foreign powers attempt daily to attack and undermine democracy, security and economic ⁠strength within the EU," said the interior minister in a statement on the meeting's objective.

He warned that such attacks ⁠could "take on a new dimension in the coming months" and the ​hybrid threat is "omnipresent."

Germany has been particularly on alert over drone threats after one carrying explosives was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport - ‌an important military logistics hub - earlier this month.

German officials have not publicly blamed any ‌foreign countries for the incident, though some lawmakers have ⁠pointed their finger at ‌Russia, which has ​dismissed the incident as "fabricated provocation."

(Reporting by Markus Wacket, writing by Miranda Murray, editing by Thomas ‌Seythal)

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