Defense budget: Pistorius: Russia has let German frigate fly over

According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, a Russian military aircraft has scanned a frigate from the German Navy in the Baltic Sea. The SPD politician put the incident in the Bundestag in a series with the penetration of Russian drones and fighter planes in the Polish and Estonian airspace. Ferthes are considered an unnecessary provocation in the military.

Russia literally tests with increasing frequency and intensity to NATO states, said Pistorius, who also campaigned for approval for the significantly increased defense budget.

According to information from the German Press Agency, the frigate “Hamburg”, which is currently involved in the ongoing NATO exercise “Neptune Strike”. It was therefore two overflights shortly before and last weekend.

“Putin wants us, Putin wants to provoke the NATO member states and he wants to identify, disclose and exploit supposed weaknesses in the NATO alliance,” said Pistorius. But the Russian president is omitted. “Alliance has clearly concluded and determined to the Russian provocations, but at the same time with the necessary prudence that is particularly important these days.”

The Bundestag advised the defense budget (“Individual Plan 14”) in the first reading. In the regular military budget, expenditure of 82.69 billion euros is planned, further expenditure of 25.51 billion euros is to be financed from the special fund of the Bundeswehr. In the current year 2025, 62.43 billion euros in the regular military budget and 24.06 billion euros from the Bundeswehr special wealth will be provided.