The New York Times reported the information.Russia and its proxies are flying surveillance drones over supply routes in eastern Germany, gathering intelligence for sabotage and support to its forces in Ukraine, U.S. and Western officials said.U.S. and German officials have discussed these sabotage efforts, which led to the May arrest of three Ukrainians in a Russia-linked plot.Russia’s sabotage campaign has included warehouse fires in Britain, a dam attack in Norway, attempts to cut Baltic Sea cables, and other operations aimed at bringing the war closer to Europe and weakening support for Kyiv.Such acts have dropped sharply this year, experts and Western officials say, due to tighter security in Europe and preventive work by U.S. and European intelligence.The drop also likely reflects a swirl of diplomatic activity to negotiate an end to the fighting in Ukraine.“The landscape is more difficult for Russians to operate,” said Seth Jones, who studies the issue for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But it’s not unreasonable to assume the Russians are a bit more cautious now while there are negotiations.”Mr. Jones reported that Russian attacks in Europe surged between 2022 and 2024 but dropped sharply this year, with only four sabotage incidents in the first half.The International Institute for Strategic Studies also noted the decline but warned the threat persists amid Europe’s struggles to coordinate a response.In June testimony to the Senate, Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, now leading U.S. European Command, said sabotage incidents fell this year thanks to greater public scrutiny and stronger European law enforcement.Under both the Biden and Trump administrations, the U.S. has shared intelligence with Europe to strengthen NATO unity, including warnings about possible sabotage.U.S. agencies alerted German officials to a plot to place explosives or incendiary devices on cargo planes transiting Germany.The warning led to the arrest of three Ukrainians in Germany and Switzerland. Berlin’s prosecutor said the plot aimed to damage freight infrastructure.The devices were addressed to Ukraine, but officials said it was unclear whether the targets were in Ukraine or cargo planes in Germany.Despite tighter scrutiny, Russia can still recruit operatives for attacks across Europe, Western officials say. This has heightened U.S. and European concern over drone flights in Germany.The flights, mainly over Thuringia, were also reported by the German outlet WirtschaftsWoche, which has closely covered the sabotage campaign.WirtschaftsWoche reported that Germany is strengthening anti-drone defenses at military bases, with officials calling nearby drone flights a major security risk.Some drones were identified as Iranian-made, and German intelligence suspects certain flights may have launched from ships in the Baltic Sea.U.S. officials confirmed the flights but said the origin could not be traced, though they believe Russians or Russian intelligence proxies are operating them.Mr. Jones called the drone flights over supply routes “straight-up espionage,” aimed at identifying firms producing weapons for Ukraine and tracking shipments through Poland.He said the surveillance likely provides battlefield intelligence to help Russia anticipate what weapons its army will face, and when.Mr. Jones and Western officials warned that Russia could use drone-gathered intelligence to expand future sabotage operations.“If at some point the Russians wanted to get more aggressive and forward leaning with that kind of intelligence collection, they know what companies are exporting and what routes are being used,” Mr. Jones said. “It would be useful if they wanted to conduct sabotage or subversive operations.”