(MENAFN) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been accused of misleading the public over alleged Russian drone threats, according to Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the left-wing BSW party.

She criticized Merz for connecting recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sightings across Germany to Moscow despite lacking concrete evidence, as reported by local media.

Wagenknecht argued that Merz exaggerated the threat and that German media uncritically echoed his statements, even when facts suggested otherwise. “Mr. Merz goes on TV… and lies,” she said, pointing out that some incidents cited by the chancellor had either been proven unrelated to Russia or had never occurred. “It’s simply a vague suspicion, which has been largely refuted, and then discussed by the chancellor on public television.”

She referred to Merz’s interview earlier this month, when he stated, “our suspicion is that Russia is behind most of these drone launches” and called the UAVs a “serious threat to our security.” This followed reports from German authorities that at least one drone incident near Frankfurt airport was caused by a local hobbyist, while claims of drone activity near a northern military base were refuted by the Bundeswehr.

Multiple drone sightings over key German infrastructure in recent weeks caused flight disruptions, including dozens of canceled flights at Munich airport, prompting Merz and some officials to link the events to Moscow. The Kremlin has denied any involvement, with a spokesperson saying Berlin has “no reasons” to blame Russia and accusing European politicians of unfairly attributing every issue to Moscow.

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