German ministers single out Russia as responsible for drone incident in Leipzig

The pattern, the drones and the approach all point to Russia being behind the drone incident in Leipzig in early August, German ministers said on Tuesday.

Now several German media, including the Süddeutsche Zeitung, have published information about the two suspected perpetrators who are said to be behind the attempted assassination.

One man was born in Russia, but has a Latvian passport. The other man lives in Belarus and has a Russian passport.

It was on the fourth of August that drones with explosive charges were discovered next to a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport. The site serves as a military transport hub to Ukraine. The incident sparked strong reactions, but is only one in a series of suspected hybrid attacks on German soil, which Russia is believed to be behind.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the approach as advanced following a known "pattern of Russian hybrid attacks". At the same time, he described the perpetrators as "Low level agents".

The man with a Latvian passport must have worked as a logistician and instructor. He is also said to have connections to the Russian intelligence service.

He is said to have entered Germany via Berlin at the end of July, taken a rental car to Leipzig and left Germany by plane two days before the failed drone attack

The other man, from Belarus, is said to have been directly involved. It was his DNA traces that were found on the drone as well as the explosive-filled can in the drone and on an antenna next to the airport.

The DNA traced the investigators to databases in Lithuania and Finland. The man is also said to have been known to authorities in several countries for other crimes and to have entered Germany with an Italian tourist visa issued in Minsk.

On Tuesday evening, Die Zeit newspaper reported that the German Federal Prosecutor's Office has opened a preliminary investigation against the two suspects.

The international reactions to Germany's designation continued on Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the attempted assassination shows Russia's "recklessness".

- Europe and NATO will not only maintain our pressure on Russia; we will increase it, and we will not stop - not until Russia stops bombing and killing innocent children, men and women in Ukraine, von der Leyen said in Brussels after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

From the EU's foreign ministers' meeting in Ireland, the Union's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas echoed the criticism of Russia, saying the ministers had discussed the country's frozen assets.

Russia's frozen assets in the EU have previously been the subject of debate within the Union. Last fall, Belgium, where the funds are located, was pressured to release the money in order to finance aid to Ukraine. But Belgium, and a number of other countries, refused.