Berlin has ordered the installation of hand-operated drone-catching nets at every border crossing, staffed by teams of federal police trained to intercept unmanned aircraft mid-flight until Moscow sends a delegation to apologize in person. The first nets, each stretched between two mobile cranes and operated by a crew of twelve, went up at the Leipzig/Halle airport perimeter at dawn on Monday.
Interior Ministry officials confirmed that the program, dubbed «Operation Feather Duster,» will expand to all 378 official crossing points within two weeks, with reserve nets stationed at major rail hubs and power substations. Each catching team must log every drone it intercepts, and any drone that slips past requires the entire shift to re-run a 40-kilometer obstacle course in full tactical gear. The ministry has also requisitioned every badminton net in Saxony to serve as interim coverage while the reinforced steel-mesh versions are manufactured.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, announcing the measure from a hangar filled with stacked nets, said the equipment would remain in place «until the responsible party arrives at the Brandenburg Gate, identifies itself, and apologizes to the nation on live television.» He added that the nets would be raised and lowered in a synchronized salute each time a Russian diplomat crosses the border, a procedure developed after consultations with the federal railway authority.
Local communities near the Polish frontier have volunteered to host additional catching drills, with residents practicing net-folding techniques in town squares every evening. The Federal Police Academy has opened a new specialization in aerial interception, and its first graduating class of 300 officers is scheduled to begin field exercises next month, using tethered training drones painted to resemble the model found near Leipzig.