Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Baltic interior ministers and senior officials are meeting in Germany to discuss hybrid threats
- Drone defense is a key focus after a recent incident at Leipzig airport
- Germany’s Green Party warns gas storage levels are far too low
Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Friday, August 28, 2026:
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Skip next section Greens urge action over low German gas storage levels08/28/2026August 28, 2026
Greens urge action over low German gas storage levels
Germany’s Greens are calling on the government to take action over low gas storage levels ahead of the coming winter.
Michael Kellner, an energy policy expert for the Green Party, called for an urgent summit on gas supply security.
“It is frustrating to have to talk about empty gas storage facilities again, but the situation is serious,” Kellner said.
Germany’s gas storage facilities are currently around 52% full. Under existing rules, they are supposed to reach an average of 70% by November 1.
Kellner said it was unclear how that target would be achieved and warned that delays could push up costs for industry and households over the winter.
The Greens are supporting a call by the socialist Left Party for a special meeting of the Bundestag’s Economic and Energy Committee.
The Economy Ministry has said that, based on its current assessment, Germany is not expected to face a gas shortage this winter.
However, it acknowledged that the situation was more strained than during the previous two winters and that storage levels were significantly lower than in recent years.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JXyOSkip next section Baltic states meet in Germany over hybrid threats08/28/2026August 28, 2026
Baltic states meet in Germany over hybrid threats
Interior ministers and other senior officials from 10 European countries are meeting in northern Germany on Friday to discuss how to counter hybrid threats, with drone defense set to be a key focus.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) is hosting the Baltic Sea Security Summit at the German naval academy in Flensburg.
Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden are taking part, alongside Norway and Ireland, which currently holds the rotating EU Council presidency.
The talks will focus on joint “strategies for better intelligence, deterrence and defense,” according to Germany’s Interior Ministry.
Security authorities have recorded numerous suspected hybrid incidents in the Baltic Sea region, with Russia suspected of involvement in a number of cases.
The meeting follows the discovery on August 4 of a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig Airport, a major hub for military aid shipments to Ukraine. Several Ukrainian cargo aircraft were nearby at the time.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said on Thursday that the government would soon identify those responsible. Dobrindt has so far referred only to “foreign powers,” although Russia is suspected.
Germany’s state interior ministers are also considering a separate meeting on drone defense, potentially in Hamburg in September.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JXxFSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/28/2026August 28, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Richard Connor | Natalie Muller Editor
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn.
You join us as Germany hosts interior ministers and senior officials from 10 European countries to discuss hybrid threats.
The meeting comes after an explosives-laden drone was found at Leipzig airport on August 4, close to Ukrainian cargo aircraft used for military aid shipments.
Meanwhile Germany’s Green Party is urging action over low gas storage levels ahead of winter. The government admits the situation is more strained than in the past two winters.
Stay with us here for these stories and more of what Germany is talking about today.
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