EU, Nato vow to step up pressure on Russia after ‘new escalation’ in Germany

The European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have pledged to intensify their pressure on Russia following a new escalation in Germany. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the recent events at Leipzig airport marked a "new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia." The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, affirmed full solidarity with Germany, emphasizing that the entire alliance, which includes the United States, stands in support of Germany's position.

Russia has vehemently denied the accusations, claiming that the drone carrying explosives deliberately targeted a Ukrainian cargo plane on August 4th. The drone was defused using a robot at Leipzig/Halle airport, and a second drone is believed to have collided with another cargo plane. A third drone was reportedly discovered at the airport ten days later, at a crucial NATO hub that frequently accommodates Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft.

It wasn't until Tuesday that the German government confirmed, through police investigations and intelligence findings, that Russia was indeed responsible for the incidents. The interior minister revealed that the drone's construction, components, explosives, and detonator matched those used in other Russian hybrid operations.

Two suspects have been identified in the Leipzig attack: a Belarusian with a Russian passport who entered Germany on a tourist visa, and another individual with Latvian and Russian passports who arrived by plane in Berlin and then departed two days before the failed attack. Berlin has decided to close the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural institution, widely suspected of functioning as a propaganda platform for the Kremlin.

The Russian foreign ministry has threatened to retaliate in a "mirror-image" manner, insisting that Berlin had offered no evidence to substantiate its claims.