Germany must become more resistant to Russian disinformation, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to the army’s operational communications center in Mayen, in the southwestern part of the country.
Disinformation campaigns needed to be identified early and publicly denounced, he said. ‘We cannot allow ourselves to be taken in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in this area… we must be prepared,” Pistorius said.
“In short, we must become resilient, in general as a state and as a society,” Pistorius said, accusing Russia of dividing Western countries and societies. Russia was trying to influence political decision-making in Germany, he said.
“Putin would also like, and this is an ongoing effort, to drive a wedge between us and our allies and divide free Western societies,” Pistorius said, aiming to weaken support for Ukraine and sow distrust in NATO.
Pistorius inspected operations at the base to speak to troops stationed there and was shown large balloons that could be used to hand out flyers.
The balloons were unique in NATO, said base commander Colonel Ferdi Akaltin. Flying a drone or plane to drop kites could be seen as an aggressive act, but balloons are not, he said.
