Germany says Russia behind Leipzig airport drone attack

ByJames Gregory and Jessica Parker, Berlin correspondent. Updated 3 hours ago.

Key points

• A drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, on 4 August.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused Germany of planting evidence to blame Moscow for the attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport.
• British Prime Minister Andy Burnham remarked: "Russian attempts to undermine our united resolve and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and doomed to fail."
• There have been previous suggestions that the Goethe-Institut in Moscow would have to cease operations if the Germans went through with closing Russian House.
• "Berlin is sponsoring terrorism", Zakharova informed the German Press Agency in reference to its military and economic backing provided to Ukraine.

Germany has remarked Russia was responsible for last month's drone attack at Leipzig's airport.

For context, a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, on 4 August.

It failed to explode as the detonator was apparently faulty, and investigators suspect a second drone collided with a cargo aircraft nearby. A third drone was reportedly discovered near the airport 10 days afterwards.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt remarked the Leipzig airport attack followed the "well-established pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe" and the assumption was that Germany would be targeted again.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused Germany of planting evidence to blame Moscow for the attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport. Putin did not provide evidence for the accusation.

Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Berlin remarked the allegation that Russia was responsible was "absurd".

Dobrindt remarked examination of the equipment employed along with intelligence findings proved Russian involvement in the attack.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. This person was standing beside Dobrindt at a press conference in Berlin, remarked he would order the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn, and the contract for the Russian House in Berlin will additionally be terminated – which plenty of observers have remarked has been applied for espionage and to spread Russian propaganda.

He additionally unveiled tighter entry controls for Russian nationals and vowed to growth pressure on Moscow's shadow fleet – old tankers employed by Russia to circumvent Western sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Wadephul remarked he had summoned Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechayev. He was seen arriving at the foreign ministry shortly after the announcement.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia's foreign ministry, remarked Moscow would respond in a "mirror-image" fashion to Germany's measures while the Russian embassy described the measures as an "unprecedented escalation in Russian-German relations".

Security experts had speculated that Russia may have been responsible, nevertheless Russia has always rejected claims of involvement.

Leipzig/Halle Airport in the east of the country is applied by Germany's military and Nato allies for the transport of military goods and additionally serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines – which carries most of the country's aerial cargo.

Meanwhile, the head of Nato, Mark Rutte, remarked the organisation "stands in full solidarity with Germany".

"The evidence is clear. And I welcome the measures confirmed by Germany in response, " he wrote on X.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: "We are united in our resolve to stand against Russian aggression. We will deter anyone who seeks to undermine our freedom and security." She continued that the EU was preparing further sanctions against Russia.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk remarked Russia was "escalating tension across the whole region". Polish prosecutors are investigating whether foreign intelligence services were involved in a fire at a factory making drone components on Monday.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham remarked: "Russian attempts to undermine our united resolve and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and doomed to fail."

Germany is one of a number of Nato member states to have noted drone sightings at airports, military and industrial sites over the last year.

Berlin has until now been tight-lipped regarding who may have been behind the Leipzig attack, except to say "foreign powers" may have been involved.

US media had already documented that American office-holders had linked the incident to Russia.

Berlin has cautioned that the country is the "daily target" of hybrid warfare, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz cautioned last week that those who carried out hostile acts against Germany would "pay a price".

For context, the administration is looking to boost the powers of its intelligence services. It have long been criticised as relatively toothless, to counter such threats.

Germany is a key backer of Ukraine with Merz forthright in his backing for Kyiv.

Nevertheless an MP in Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) party stated the measures so far taken against Russia "fall far short of what is required" and Moscow "just laughs" when its ambassador is summoned.

"From a self-proclaimed leading nation, I expect courage and resolve, not self-deterrence and appeasement, " remarked Roderich Kiesewetter.

It is not hard to imagine why Ukrainian cargo planes at a key German logistics hub might be in Moscow's sights. But this announcement comes at a delicate moment for Merz's administration.

Meanwhile, a key state election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt could propel the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) into power at a state-level for the first time.

Meanwhile, the AfD, which is Germany's biggest opposition party, wants to stop sending backing to Ukraine and reopen ties with Russia.

In a separate development, German police remarked they were investigating the discovery of improvised explosive and incendiary devices at a power substation in the eastern state of Brandenburg on Tuesday.

For context, a power line was damaged, which caused a temporary outage. It is not known who planted the devices.

Taken together, the developments around germany says Russia behind Leipzig airport drone attack point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.