Drone Incident in Leipzig: the Trail Leads to Russia

German authorities have blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced that Russia is being held responsible and added that further sanctions are being considered. These measures include closing the Russian consulate in Bonn and ending the lease for the Russian House in central Berlin.

Wadephul stated that Germany is not at war with Russia, but is instead a "target of war." The newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau noted that a response was long overdue and that sanctions alone are insufficient. They also emphasized that Germany and its partners must take more action to mitigate the consequences of Russia's hybrid war, which includes sabotage and disinformation campaigns.

The EU should even consider providing Patriot missile defense ammunition to Ukraine to better protect itself against Russian attacks. Switzerland's Tages-Anzeiger praised Germany's response as moderate, but cautioned that it still leaves the door open for further escalation. Germany could invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty for consultations or move towards Article 5 if Russia continues its provocations.

However, Russian military expert Alexandru Grumaz argued that Russia is using small-scale actions as part of a grand plan, targeting the systems that help Ukraine continue its fight.