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Germany accused Russia on Tuesday of an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport, a major regional hub in the eastern state of Saxony, Al Jazeera reported. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said a drone laden with explosives was found near a Ukrainian aircraft on the evening of August 4 and was later defused.
Dobrindt said the attack was not an isolated event but fit a "known pattern of Russian hybrid operations" in Europe. Police work, the pattern of the offense and intelligence findings together established Russian responsibility, he told reporters on Tuesday alongside Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
Germany set out a series of diplomatic measures in response. The Russian ambassador was summoned, and Russia's consulate general in Bonn and its Russian House cultural center in Berlin will be closed. Through the European Union, Berlin will also press for further sanctions and travel restrictions on Russian nationals, and for tighter pressure on Russia's shadow fleet of tankers.
Moscow rejected the accusation. Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, said the country would respond to what she called Berlin's anti-Russian action, according to the Interfax news agency.
The findings landed as several European governments report a rise in sabotage attempts they attribute to Russia. The European Union and NATO backed Berlin, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc is preparing additional sanctions against Moscow. German authorities have not identified who operated the drone.
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