Russia under suspicion Drones near Meiringen military airfield - army can do nothing

Suspicious drones keep circling near Swiss Armed Forces facilities. But the army can hardly do anything about it. Politicians are alarmed - and now want to take action.

If everything goes according to plan, brand new F-35 fighter jets will be taking off and landing from the Meiringen military airfield in a few years' time. However, it was precisely there that members of the army recently observed suspicious drones again - by no means an isolated incident.

The army is now issuing an urgent warning about foreign spy drones flying over its facilities, as reported by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. "It must be assumed that foreign intelligence services are also carrying out espionage activities against the Swiss Armed Forces," writes Armed Forces spokesman Stefan Hofer in response to an inquiry from the newspaper.

This mainly involves the reconnaissance of "high-tech armaments" such as the F-35 fighter jet. According to Hofer, the greatest threat comes from espionage by Russian intelligence services. He also rated the threat from Chinese intelligence services as high. The development of mini-drones further exacerbates the risk of espionage, he added.

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Russia poses the greatest threat

Regarding the specific case in Meiringen, the report states: "Based on the flight patterns detected, reconnaissance activities by foreign intelligence services cannot be ruled out at the very least".

However, the army lacks the legal and technical means to effectively prevent reconnaissance by drones. For example, military police officers are not allowed to stop and control drone pilots, even though they are in the vicinity of a military installation but do not violate its perimeter. In addition, airfields such as Meiringen are subject to drone exclusion zones, but only for those weighing more than 250 grams.

"With this in mind, not only must the army's capabilities be continuously developed, but, if necessary, the corresponding legal basis must also be proposed to the legislator," reads a statement from the army.

For Reto Nause, centrist National Councillor and member of the Security Policy Committee, the case in Meiringen is clear: "All the evidence in this case points to illegal espionage," he told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. He and his colleagues now want to decide on measures quickly. They must "do everything we can to stop this".