Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has raised alarms over Russia's development of a new class of submarines allegedly designed to target undersea infrastructure, including cables and pipelines. In a statement made on Tuesday, Merz elaborated on the growing security threats facing northern Europe, stressing the serious implications for regional stability.

According to Anadolu Agency, Merz disclosed these concerns following an EU summit on Arctic security policy, held with Nordic states in Finland. He reported that the information shared at the summit failed to alleviate his apprehensions regarding Russia's military activities. "We are seeing a massive threat to our entire undersea infrastructure," Merz emphasized, underscoring the strategic risks posed by the new submarine capabilities.

Merz's remarks came during a public event at the Chancellery where he addressed winners of a youth research competition, taking the opportunity to discuss both domestic and international security challenges. He highlighted the persistent threats to European freedom, urging a continued focus on defense readiness in light of the current geopolitical climate.

While responding to student inquiries about the economic and technological impacts of international conflicts, Merz justified the German government's decision to increase defense spending significantly. He acknowledged the difficulty of allocating substantial resources to defense, noting a desire to direct funds elsewhere if geopolitical conditions allowed. However, given the present circumstances, he stressed the necessity of such investments to counter looming threats.

In addition to defense, Merz called for bolstering European technological independence, particularly in security and defense sectors. He lauded the achievements of Isar Aerospace, a German firm that recently launched European-made satellites from Norway. Merz also highlighted plans to develop a European geostationary satellite system, aiming to reduce reliance on American GPS networks and Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Recounting a personal experience to illustrate the challenges posed by Russian interference, Merz shared an incident involving navigation system failure due to Russian jamming during a flight to northern Europe. This anecdote served to emphasize the importance of advancing European capabilities to mitigate such vulnerabilities in civil aviation.

The timing of Merz's flight incident remains unspecified, but his revelations underscore the urgency of addressing security and technological independence within Europe.