“Threat of Russia is real,” says Merz, following strike on EU building

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has stressed that Russia poses a real threat in Europe, following a Russian strike on an EU office building in Kyiv.

Merz emphasises threat of Russia in Europe

Following a Russian strike on British Council and EU offices in Kyiv, which killed at least 23 people, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has underlined the threat that the Russian army poses to European security.

“Daily, we see actions of the Russian army which test our defence readiness and capabilities,” Merz told the press while visiting the Bayern marine base near Warnemünde, where the German army monitors Russian military activity in the North and Baltic Sea.

“In the following months and years, we will do everything to protect the freedom, peace, and territorial integrity of the allied area,” Merz added. The strike in Kyiv comes just as Merz and Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) announce a draft law to make military service compulsory for some groups of people.

If the draft law passes in the Bundestag, from January 1, 2026, all young German citizens residing in Germany will receive an online questionnaire on their 18th birthday. Young men will be obliged to fill out and return the questionnaire, but it will be optional for young women.

The questionnaire will ask 18-year-olds about their interest in joining the German Bundeswehr, their fitness level, skills and interests. Respondents considered suitable will then be invited for an optional medical examination. As of January 1, 2027, attending this medical examination will become mandatory.

Reports of Russia using drones in eastern Germany

This week also saw reports from the New York Times and WirtschaftsWoche alleging that Russian military drones have been flying over routes in eastern Germany, namely Thuringia, which allied countries use to ship weapons supplies to Ukraine. 

The Kremlin has since denied the claims. "[I]t’s hard to imagine, because then the Germans would have seen it clearly, and they would hardly have kept quiet,” President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told journalists.

"The reports about alleged drone sightings are known to us,” Germany’s Foreign Ministry said in response. “We are observing the current developments very closely. We are also in regular exchange with our allies and NATO on this matter.”