Three German companies appeared on a Russian Defense Ministry list last week — their addresses published alongside a warning from Moscow that cooperation with Ukraine’s drone industry was dragging Europe “faster into a war with Russia.” On Monday, Berlin summoned Russia’s ambassador and delivered a response in unusually blunt terms.

The German Foreign Ministry called in Ambassador Sergei Nechayev on April 20 over what it described as “direct threats from Russia against targets in Germany,” posting on X that such threats are “an attempt to undermine our support for Ukraine and test our unity.”

“Our response is clear: we will not be intimidated,” the ministry wrote. “Such threats, and all forms of espionage activities in Germany, are completely unacceptable.”

A List With Consequences

The trigger was a statement published by Russia’s Defense Ministry on April 15 — one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin. The ministry listed 21 companies across Europe and beyond, divided into two categories: “Branches of Ukrainian Companies in Europe” and “Foreign Enterprises Producing Components.”

The listed locations spanned London, Munich, Riga, Vilnius, Prague, Madrid, Venice, and Haifa. The ministry said European citizens should know “the addresses and locations” of companies producing drones for Ukraine “on their own soil.”

Three of the named companies were based in Germany.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who now serves as deputy head of Putin’s Security Council, made the implicit threat explicit within hours. “The Defense Ministry statement must be taken literally: the list of European facilities which make drones & other equipment is a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces,” he wrote on X. “When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!”

As Meduza reported, at least one address on the list — Lerchenauer Strasse 28 in Munich — corresponds to a residential building, raising questions about the accuracy of Moscow’s intelligence.

Why Berlin Went Public

Germany’s decision to summon the ambassador publicly, rather than register protests through quieter diplomatic channels, marks a deliberate escalation in tone. The Czech Republic condemned the same list earlier last week, demanding an explanation from Moscow.

The timing was not accidental. Zelenskyy’s April 14 visit to Berlin produced a four-billion-euro defense package, including several hundred Patriot missiles. Germany also committed to supporting Ukraine’s drone industry and establishing joint production ventures — precisely the kind of cooperation Russia’s list was designed to intimidate.

By calling the threats an attempt to “test our unity,” Berlin framed the episode as part of a broader pattern of Russian pressure campaigns across the continent. The Foreign Ministry explicitly linked the threats to espionage activities on German soil, suggesting Berlin views this as an integrated campaign rather than an isolated provocation.

The Wider Hybrid War

Russia’s threat to target facilities on NATO territory — even obliquely — raises questions about alliance red lines. No European government has suggested the threats constitute grounds for military response, but the public nature of Berlin’s reaction signals that European capitals are choosing visibility over discretion.

The strategy appears twofold: reassure domestic audiences that governments are responding firmly, and signal to Moscow that public threats will be met with public consequences rather than private accommodation.

Also on Monday, Russian authorities arrested a German woman in the southern city of Pyatigorsk, alleging she was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out a bombing at a law enforcement building. Russia’s FSB security service claimed she was found with a homemade bomb and that electronic jamming prevented the device from detonating. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said Berlin was aware of the reports but would not comment further out of privacy concerns.

The claim could not be independently confirmed.

What Comes Next

European countries have accelerated defense cooperation with Ukraine in recent months, including joint drone production programs, as Russia’s full-scale invasion enters its fifth year and US support wanes.

Berlin’s public response suggests that Moscow’s pressure campaign may be producing the opposite of its intended effect — hardening European resolve rather than fracturing it. Several countries have announced plans to expand drone cooperation with Ukraine, citing the need to learn from Kyiv’s battlefield experience.

For Moscow, the calculation appears to be that credible threats against European infrastructure could weaken the coalition supporting Ukraine. For Berlin and its allies, the challenge is demonstrating that such threats carry costs of their own.

Sources