Drone incident at Leipzig Airport: Germany convinced of Russian involvement

The German government has concluded that Russian intelligence services were behind an attempted sabotage operation involving drones at Leipzig Airport. According to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany on August 4, close to Ukrainian cargo planes.

Fortunately, the detonator was faulty and the device failed to explode. Investigators suspect a second drone collided with a cargo aircraft nearby, and a third drone was reportedly found near the airport 10 days later.

German authorities believe that individuals involved in the attack were acting on behalf of Russian state agencies. The incident is seen as part of a broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe. In response, Germany will close the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and terminate its agreement with the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin. Additionally, Germany will push for additional sanctions listings and travel restrictions on Russian nationals within the European Union.

The European Commission and NATO have expressed solidarity with Germany, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promising to discuss the matter with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and prepare additional sanctions. Rutte stated that the evidence of Russia's involvement is clear. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Germany's actions, saying they had "invented a pretext" and that Berlin was "thoroughly tainted" by its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

Brief written by urgent.news from Ukrinform - Politics, Meduza (English), RTE News, DW English (Top Stories), BBC News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.