Germany’s government formally placed blame on Russia for the drone incident on September 1 and announced the closure of the Russian consulate general and the Russian House in Berlin, while also intending to tighten controls on the entry of Russians into Germany and initiate new anti-Russian sanctions at the EU level.
1News.azGermany’s interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said investigators determined the drone discovered at the airport was consistent with Russian technology, and he said the device reflected “a high degree of technical expertise”.
The BBC reported that a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport on 4 August near Ukrainian cargo planes, that it failed to explode as the detonator was apparently faulty, and that investigators suspect a second drone collided with a cargo aircraft nearby.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, “Total solidarity with Germany,” and announced “a strengthening of deterrence and defense capabilities” to confront the threat of hybrid attacks after Germany moved to attribute the Leipzig drone attack to Russia.
Ursula von der Leyen said, “Hybrid attacks will not go without a clear response,” and Anadolu Ajansı reported that EU foreign ministers would prepare additional sanctions at an upcoming meeting under the Irish EU presidency.
Al Jazeera reported that the Russian Embassy in Berlin called the German claims absurd and warned that the accusations would have consequences, while Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Friedrich Merz of pointing the finger at Moscow to distract from domestic problems and falling approval ratings.
The BBC added that Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Germany of planting evidence to blame Moscow for the attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport, while the Russian embassy in Berlin said the allegation that Russia was responsible was “absurd”.
DIE WELT said the EU is preparing new sanctions and cited EU foreign affairs chief Borrell discussing preparations to impose sanctions on 1600 more people and companies connected to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
BBC reported that Germany said it would close the Russian consulate in Bonn and terminate the contract for the Russian House in Berlin, and it also announced tighter entry controls for Russian nationals and vowed to increase pressure on Moscow’s shadow fleet.
In the same dispute, CNN reported that the Russian embassy described Germany’s measures as an “unprecedented escalation in Russian-German relations,” while Mark Rutte said NATO would continue strengthening its ability to deter and defend all allies against threats including “malign actions like those seen in Leipzig.”