Russia’s ambassador to Germany says a Leipzig airport attack would have looked ‘completely different’ if Moscow had wanted to carry one out

In a recent podcast, Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechayev stated that an attack on Leipzig airport could have taken a "completely different" form if Moscow had been the perpetrator, according to German blogger Ben Berndt. Nechayev emphasized that Russia has consistently expressed its desire for peace with NATO and Germany and has no intention of provoking the public or the government.

He added that if Russia had indeed wanted to carry out an attack in Leipzig, it could have resulted in a significantly different outcome. Nechayev further dismissed the allegation of Russia's involvement in the sabotage at Leipzig airport, calling it a "deliberate provocation" and rejecting any claims of Russian involvement. Following the incident, Germany had closed Russia's consulate general in Bonn and the "Russian House" in Berlin, tightened entry controls for Russian citizens, and accused Russia of responsibility for the sabotage.

German investigators have identified two individuals suspected of involvement in the sabotage - a Russian-born man with a Latvian passport and a Belarusian man with a Russian passport. However, neither has been detained as of yet. Meduza, the news outlet that published this story, remains committed to transparency about its use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom.

The article was written by a journalist and translated from Russian using an AI model that adheres to strict editorial standards. Each draft undergoes a review by a Meduza editor before publication. Readers can reach out to reports@meduza.io if they identify any errors in the translation. For access to Meduza's exclusive English-language content, one can subscribe to their newsletter.