Drama as Germany’s minister run for cover over Russian drone in Ukraine

Admin I Monday, Feb. 26, 2024

UKRAINE – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had to cut short her visit of a waterworks facility in southern Ukraine on Sunday when a Russian spy drone was sighted, a Foreign Office official said.

Baerbock had been visiting the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv over the weekend when members of the delegation were asked to quickly return to the armoured vehicles in Baerbock’s convoy after a Russian drone was spotted flying over the area of the waterworks.

Such reconnaissance drones are usually followed by direct airstrikes, the official said, noting that staying on the move is the best response in such instances.

The spy drone then followed Baerbock’s column before turning away. Shortly after Baerbock’s column left, there was an air alert in the Mykolaiv region for around 15 minutes.

Baerbock already had to go to a shelter in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa on Saturday evening when air raid sirens began sounding for about 20 minutes in the city centre.

According to a dpa reporter, Baerbock was in the shelter of her hotel together with members of her delegation and other guests. People in the delegation reported that it was a rocket alarm.

An explosion was then heard in the Odessa region. It remained unclear whether there was a missile hit or whether the Ukrainian air defence fended off the projectile.

Details about possible damage or casualties were not initially known. Shortly before Baerbock’s visit, two Russian drone attacks had left a total of four people dead and several injured in the city of Odessa.