Germany says Russia behind attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport

Germany attributes responsibility for a drone attack attempt at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4 to Russia, according to the federal government. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced this during a press conference in Berlin, stating the attack aligned with a series of destabilization operations against Europe. Authorities found a drone with explosives and a detonation mechanism in the security area of the airport, near Ukrainian cargo aircraft, and suspect a second drone may have collided with a DHL aircraft nearby.

The third drone, also equipped with explosives, was reportedly discovered at the airport last week. German federal prosecutors described the incident as a serious threat to Germany's transport and logistics infrastructure. Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed a formal response to the incident in the coming days, expressing that Germany's allies in the European Union and NATO would not be surprised.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pledged a measured response to the drone discovery but avoided directly blaming Russia until his press conference, as stated earlier on Tuesday. EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas confirmed Russia's involvement in the drone incident but deferred further comments until Germany identified the responsible party.

Kallas noted Russia's increasing provocation and questioned potential measures to deter Moscow from escalating tensions further.