Germany’s government said Tuesday that it has concluded Russia was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month, and announced it will close a Russian consulate and take a series of other retaliatory measures.
Explosive-Laden Drone Found Near Cargo Plane
The drone was discovered on August 4 inside a secure area of Leipzig/Halle Airport, near the south runway where cargo flights operate, close to a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. A bomb disposal robot was sent in and the attached detonator was removed before it could go off. German officials said at the time the device failed to detonate because of a faulty detonator.
Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said forensic evidence, including the drone’s configuration, components, explosives, and detonator, matched patterns “known to us from other Russian hybrid operations and its war against Ukraine.”
Germany Raises Threat Level
“We are not at war, but we are a daily target of hybrid attacks,” Dobrindt told reporters in Berlin, according to CNN, as he raised the country’s official threat level assessment from “general” to “high.”
Dobrindt said intelligence pointed to individuals who acted on behalf of Russian state entities, though he did not name a specific agency. “Taken together, the police investigations, the pattern and intelligence findings prove a Russian responsibility for the attempted attack at Leipzig airport,” he said, according to Reuters.
Consulate to Close, Cultural Center Contract Ended
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Russia’s consulate general in Bonn will close effective September 18, and the German government will terminate the agreement under which the Russian House cultural center operates in Berlin.
Wadephul said Germany does not view the Leipzig incident in isolation. “It fits into a broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe,” he said. Germany also plans to tighten entry rules for Russian nationals, push the European Union to add more Russian individuals to its sanctions list, and increase pressure on the so called shadow fleet of tankers accused of shipping Russian oil in violation of international sanctions.
Russia Denies Involvement
Russia’s embassy in Berlin rejected the accusation, calling it “absurd.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would respond to Germany’s measures in a “mirror image” fashion. The embassy separately described Berlin’s response as an “unprecedented escalation” in relations between the two countries.
A US defense official in Europe told CNN that Washington had previously assessed the explosive-laden drone found at Leipzig belonged to a Russian intelligence service.
NATO and EU Back Berlin
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen both pledged “full solidarity” with Germany in response to the announcement. Von der Leyen said European foreign ministers would set out a “clear response” to Russia, including additional sanctions, later this week.
Western officials have repeatedly accused Russia of running a broader campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations since the start of the war.
