SAEDNEWS: German police temporarily sealed off an air base near Cologne as they investigated a suspected case of sabotage, authorities said, amid fears that the facility’s water supply had been contaminated.
According to SAEDNEWS, The operation at the Cologne-Wahn military base, a critical hub for Western allies' support of Ukraine, comes amid rising concerns in European capitals about potential Russian acts across the continent. As reported by the Financial Times, there is mounting anxiety that Russia is committing to a long-term conflict with the West, sparking fears of escalating aggression.
Intelligence agencies have suggested that Russia has begun preparations for covert operations, including bombings, arson attacks, and sabotage of infrastructure in Europe, whether directly or through affiliated proxies.
Colonel Arne Collatz, a spokesperson for the defense ministry, confirmed that an intruder is suspected of unlawfully entering the Cologne-Wahn barracks and committing acts of sabotage. In response, the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, dispatched counter-intelligence investigators and personnel from the State Protection Office, which focuses on politically motivated crimes, to the air base to investigate the incident. The base was later reopened on Wednesday.
Authorities noted that a hole had been found in the fence surrounding the base, specifically near its drinking water unit. The Bundeswehr stated, "As it could not be excluded that the perpetrator was still on the premises of the barracks, it was temporarily closed," adding that drinking water supplies were shut off from its network pending test results.
Collatz emphasized that “the safety of barracks has absolute priority at the moment and everyone is very alert to possible gaps [in security] that might arise.”
In addition to the events at Cologne-Wahn, there was another incident at a NATO air base in Geilenkirchen, near the Dutch border. A spokesperson for NATO reported that an unauthorized individual attempted to gain access to the base but was stopped by security personnel. The security level at that facility was heightened but was not completely sealed off; by Wednesday afternoon, protocols had returned to normal.
NATO indicated that they do not believe this incident is connected to the suspected sabotage at Cologne-Wahn. The Bundeswehr's territorial leadership command issued a statement expressing well wishes for the speedy recovery of any armed forces members who were affected during the incident, although they did not disclose the number of individuals involved or additional details.
According to news magazine Der Spiegel, the Cologne-Wahn military air base, located southeast of Cologne—the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia—plays a significant role in providing military support for Kyiv, with Ukrainian soldiers receiving training in Germany before returning home from this facility.
