The German government has accused Russia of being behind an attempted drone attack on a major regional airport last month.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Tuesday that the attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany using a drone laden with explosives fits a known pattern of “Russian hybrid operations” and added that investigators had proof that agents controlling the drone were working on “behalf of Russian state entities”.
“Taken together, police investigations, patterns of the offences and intelligence findings establish Russian responsibility for the attempted attack,” he told reporters, standing alongside Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. “The federal government therefore concludes that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack.”
The drone was found at the airport near a Ukrainian cargo plane on the evening of August 4 and defused.
The findings were announced as several European countries that are providing Ukraine with support as it defends itself against Russia’s four-and-a-half-year invasion have reported an increase in sabotage attacks and attempts that they blame on Russia.
Dobrindt said German authorities do not view the attack as an isolated incident. “It fits into a broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe,” he asserted.
Wadephul said Germany is implementing a series of measures in response.
The Russian ambassador has been summoned, while Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin will be shuttered, he said.
Through the European Union framework, Germany will also seek additional sanctions and travel restrictions on Russian nationals, and pressure will also be raised on Russia’s “shadow fleet”, Wadephul said.
Reacting to Germany’s announcement, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Moscow would respond to what she called Berlin’s “anti-Russian action”, according to the Interfax news agency.
‘Futile’
Germany’s accusation of a direct attack sponsored by Russia on its soil is one of the strongest to be made by a European nation amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
It also reflects Berlin’s tougher approach towards Moscow since Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office last year. Berlin has expanded military support for Ukraine and backed the use of long-range weapons against targets inside Russia.
On Monday, Germany criticised Washington for welcoming Russia’s finance minister to a Group of 20 (G20) meeting in the United States, warning against any normalisation of relations while the war in Ukraine continues.
EU and NATO leaders have been quick to pledge support.
“We are united in our resolve to stand against Russian aggression. We will deter anyone who seeks to undermine our freedom and security,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social media. “The matter, including additional sanctions, will be prepared by Foreign Ministers at their upcoming meeting.”
EU foreign ministers were due to meet in the Republic of Ireland starting on Tuesday evening.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he welcomed the measures Germany plans to take, saying the “evidence is clear” regarding responsibility.
Pledging to raise the alliance’s support for defending member states, Rutte insisted: “Russia’s attempts to intimidate us, to undermine our unity and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and will fail.”
“If the gravity of the events is confirmed,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, “there will inevitably be consequences, particularly regarding the sanctions that might be imposed on Russia.”
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom was standing in “full solidarity” with Germany.
Suspicion over Russian sabotage and spying operations across Europe has been rising in recent weeks, especially since Ukraine has found significant success in targeting Russian infrastructure with drone strikes.
Leipzig/Halle is a major hub for international freight and for providing support to Ukraine. The planes that regularly use it include Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft.
The airport is also home to NATO’s Strategic Airlift International Solution, or SALIS, which is currently operational almost every day in delivering equipment to NATO battle groups along its eastern flank from Finland to Romania and supporting EU and alliance-nation missions.
In July, the EU imposed sanctions on Russian military officers, hackers and private companies, denouncing what it called a years-long cyber-espionage campaign.
