News blog on federal politics
According to research by “Süddeutscher Zeitung”, NDR and WWD, Rome is checking information on suspects
September 2, 2026, 8:18 p.m.|
A suspect is said to have entered the Schengen area via Belarus on an Italian tourist visa. The case continues to fuel the debate about stricter visa rules in the EU.
All developments in the live blog
In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our live blog.
Important updates
Cabinet initiates tax reform
Damage to the government plane: Klingbeil can only fly home later
Putin: Berlin's sanctions over drone "serious mistake"
Russia accused of being the mastermind of Leipzig: Overview of international reactions
Green Party member Von Notz praises the federal government’s “clearer language” in Leipzig
Moscow summons chargé d’affaires from the German embassy
The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned the chargé d'affaires of the German embassy in Moscow to protest against Berlin's sanctions following the discovery of an explosive drone at Halle/Leipzig airport. The ministry said this happened because of the anti-Russian actions and statements made by the German leadership. A video showed the diplomat driving up with the head of the embassy's political department and entering the building. The new ambassador Clemens von Goetze is therefore not in town. Russia had announced counter-sanctions. A closure of the Goethe Institute and the Consulate General in St. Petersburg is considered conceivable. In the past, both sides had closed mutual consulates as a result of sanctions. Russia denies having anything to do with the drone at the airport. Russia sees the case surrounding the unexploded flying object as a “provocation” that only serves the interests of militaristic circles in Europe and Ukraine.
Kiesewetter: Measures against Russia are not enough
CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter believes the measures announced by the federal government against Russia after the attempted attack with an explosive drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport are inadequate. “The Russian House and the Consulate General should have been closed long ago for security reasons anyway,” Kiesewetter told the editorial network Germany (RND). It is not enough to simply take “symbolic and diplomatic measures”.
Kiesewetter called for consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty. “The systematic nature of the attacks is also directed against NATO and is intended to divide and weaken the defense alliance,” he said. Article 4 provides for consultations between allies if a NATO state declares itself to be at risk from outside. But the federal government doesn't want to pull him.
The CDU politician continued that Russia sees purely diplomatic and symbolic measures as a sign of weakness. It is therefore to be expected that Russia will expand its measures. “So I expect further terror from Russia and military measures such as sabotage, targeted murders and terrorist attacks in Germany too.”
Bad Kreuznach: Nine injured after liquid attack on AfD stand
Nine people were injured in an attack with a liquid on an AfD information stand in Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate. According to the current investigation, a liquid was poured from an adjacent building towards the party's stand, the police said.
Several people came into contact with splashes on Wednesday afternoon and suffered minor skin irritations. As a precaution, two injured people were taken to a hospital for further examination and have since been able to leave, it said.
After the incident in the area of the bridge houses in the city center, there was a major deployment of police, fire and rescue services. A suspect has been identified.
Due to the small amount of liquid, no serious injuries are expected based on current knowledge, the police said. The investigation into the background of the incident is still ongoing. What type of liquid it was still needs to be investigated, said a police spokesman.
According to research by “Süddeutscher Zeitung”, NDR and WDR, Rome is checking information on suspects
Italy wants to examine information according to which a possible participant in the suspected Russian attack attempt at Leipzig/Halle Airport is said to have entered the EU on a tourist visa issued by Italy. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Ireland that all necessary investigations would now be carried out. In principle, there is a procedure for issuing visas and certain requirements must be met. If the persons concerned meet these requirements and there is no warning message about them, the visa will be issued.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR had previously reported that investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) had now managed to identify suspects. Die Zeit reported that two suspects were being investigated. According to research by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, one of them is said to have entered the Schengen area with an Italian tourist visa. According to the authorities, the document was issued at the end of April at an Italian diplomatic mission in Minsk, Belarus.
At the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Ireland, the reports sparked new discussions about a possible tightening of visa rules. If it is true that one of the suspects traveled to the EU on an Italian tourist visa, then this shows very clearly that the EU can be harmed using visas, said EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas.
Many member states have already pointed out in the past that such tourist visas would be used for acts of sabotage because the perpetrators would have to get into the European Union. She hopes that if the information is confirmed, there could be a tightening of the current visa restrictions. “Because this is actually about our own safety,” she said.
Anna Schimpp
The President of the EU Commission and the Secretary General of NATO are calling for increased defense spending
After the federal government blamed Russia for the attack at Halle/Leipzig airport, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are calling for further increases in investments in defense against Russia. You have to view your own everyday infrastructure as “front-line goals” and protect it accordingly, said the German politician. Leipzig marks a new escalation by Russia in the territory of the European Union. “However, this is part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents: repeated incursions into our airspace, drones crippling our airports and disruptions to our critical infrastructure,” the German politician said.
Meanwhile, France summons a representative from the Russian embassy to Paris. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrothabe summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires to protest, he said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland. In addition, sanctions would have to be decided at the European level, especially against the Russian shadow fleet.
Cabinet initiates tax reform
The federal cabinet has launched the black-red coalition's income tax reform. The draft by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil provides for relief that should amount to ten billion euros annually from 2028. Small and medium income earners and families with children in particular should benefit. In view of higher prices for food and energy, for example, it is important to relieve the burden on the vast majority in Germany, explained the SPD leader, who was unable to attend the cabinet meeting. The reason was a delayed return trip from the USA due to aircraft damage.
Among other things, the reform provides for a higher basic allowance above which income tax has to be paid. The top tax rate of 42 percent should take effect a little later, namely for taxable income from 70,600 euros. Child benefit and the flat rate with which work-related expenses can be claimed should be increased. To provide counter-financing, the “rich tax” for high incomes should, among other things, take effect a little earlier.
With regard to criticism of the extent of the relief, Klingbeil said: "With our reform, families with children will be able to have more than 600 euros more in their pockets per year from 2028 than they do today. Nobody should downplay that." The draft now goes to further discussions in the Bundestag and Bundesrat. According to the coalition's schedule, the reform is scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2027.
Damage to the government plane: Klingbeil can only fly home later
Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) can fly back from his trip to the G-20 summit in North Carolina, but later than planned. A technical problem postponed the planned start of the plane, the delegation said, and the Vice Chancellor then had to spend the night in the hotel. The Air Force and Lufthansa Technik have now given the green light for the return flight.
The reason for the delay: Structural damage was discovered on a door before departure during the so-called walkaround, which had to be checked, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense. For this purpose, image material in Germany was also evaluated by experts from Lufthansa Technik. The spokesman said a passenger staircase probably caused the damage. However, an onward flight is now possible. It is planned that the plane with the minister and his delegation will take off from the USA at midday German time.
Klingbeil took part in the meeting of the G-20 finance ministers in Asheville, North Carolina. He then visited a BMW factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Putin: Berlin's sanctions over drone "serious mistake"
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described German punitive measures against Russia after the incident with an explosive drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport as a “serious mistake”. “Where is the evidence?” asked the Kremlin chief at a press conference in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). He described the evidence presented so far as “falsified”. The reaction of the federal government around Chancellor Friedrich Merz is primarily motivated by domestic politics.
“Merz has lost the trust of citizens because he does not protect Germany’s national interests,” Putin said after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. The future of Germany's current political leadership is at stake in the coming elections due to economic problems.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) had previously blamed Russia for the drone incident and announced punitive measures. Wadephul said that the Russian consulate in Bonn, for example, should be closed. In addition, the contract for the Russian House in Berlin will be terminated.
Russia accused of being the mastermind of Leipzig: Overview of international reactions
After the federal government officially blamed Russia for the attack with an explosive drone on Leipzig/Halle Airport, there were international reactions. An overview.
According to its own statements, NATO wants to further strengthen its deterrence and defense capabilities after the incident in Leipzig. The alliance stands in solidarity with Germany after Russia's hybrid attack, explains NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Platform
Von der Leyen also assured Germany of her full solidarity on behalf of the EU. After a conversation with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, she announced on X that the international community remained united in the face of this escalating and serious action by Russia. Hybrid attacks would not be left without a clear answer. “Russia is trying to sow distrust and fear in our societies,” von der Leyen continued. But it will fail. They will also stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary.
“I welcome Germany’s decisive response to the Russian attack in Leipzig,” wrote the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, on
French President Emmanuel Macron supports new EU sanctions against Russia. France is in full solidarity with Germany, Macron wrote on X. "We have to stand together in supporting Ukraine," he continued. France will continue to make its contribution.
Green Party member Von Notz praises the federal government’s “clearer language” in Leipzig
Green party deputy Konstantin von Notz welcomes the federal government's response to the attack with an explosive drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. "We expressly welcome the fact that the federal government is finally finding a much clearer language about the incident in Leipzig. This was long overdue," he told the German Press Agency.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) had previously stated at a joint appearance that the federal government sees Russia as the author of the incident. At the same time, von Notz was irritated by “the federal government’s current lack of language and concept”. It is an important sign that Dobrindt and Wadephul appeared in front of the press together.
Leipzig: Russia announces reaction to sanctions
Russia will respond “in a mirror image” to Germany’s punitive measures after the attack with an explosive drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The answer will be like previous unilateral and unfair sanctions, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry told the German Press Agency.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov accused Germany of not having substantiated the allegations with arguments. “It is obvious that Germany is taking the further path of escalation,” Peskov also said. “When such serious allegations are made, they should be substantiated somehow.”
Russia had denied involvement in the incident and claimed it was a provocation “exclusively aimed at the
