German government says it has evidence of Russian secret service involvement in drone attack at Leipzig airport

The German Federal Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Foreign Affairs officially issued a statement in this regard on Tuesday afternoon (September 1). German "Bild" and "Der Spiegel Online" reported the results of the official announcement in advance.

According to reports, the German government has conclusive evidence that Russian secret services were involved in the drone attacks. The nature of the attack was considered serious as Leipzig Airport is not only a commercial logistics hub but also regularly provides military transport services to the Bundeswehr and NATO.

From the night of August 4 to the early morning of August 5, a drone carrying explosives was discovered in the security area of ​​Leipzig Airport, close to the area where the Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane was parked. Investigators believe the drone struck a transport aircraft. Subsequently, partial remains of the quadcopter were found on the wing of the Antonov aircraft (where the fuel tank was located); the fuselage of the drone was found on the ground, and the fuse of the explosive device it carried apparently failed to detonate.

Although Berlin has so far not named Russia, analysts and media analysts have unanimously pointed to Moscow. The incident also sparked ongoing discussions about the security status of Germany's infrastructure.

It is unclear which Russian intelligence agency was involved. According to information learned by Der Spiegel, German Chancellor Mertz will not make a public statement for the time being.

In recent days, the German government has been intensively discussing a series of response plans, including punitive measures for Russian state entities suspected of participating in attempted attacks in Germany.

According to reports, plans to expel more Russian diplomats are in preparation, and the closure of Russia’s only remaining consulate general in Germany in Bonn has also been on the agenda for discussion recently.