Germany Accuses Russia of Drone Attack on Leipzig Airport
Berlin says an assessment of drone technology and intelligence points to Russian responsibility, while announcing new measures against Moscow.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Germany has accused Russia of responsibility for a drone attack on an airport in Leipzig on Aug. 4, saying an assessment of the drone technology and other intelligence led the government to conclude that Moscow was behind the incident.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday, the Russian Consulate in Bonn would be closed at the end of the month. Germany would also terminate its lease of the “Russian House,” a cultural center in the capital, tighten entry measures for Russian citizens and propose placing more Russians on the European Union’s sanctions list.
Wadephul also pledged to increase pressure on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, referring to older vessels with unclear ownership that Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that, following an assessment of drone technology and other intelligence, the government had concluded that Russia was responsible for the Aug. 4 attack in Leipzig.
“We do not regard the incident in Leipzig as an ordinary event; rather, we expect Germany to face further Russian attacks,” Faeser said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed the European Union’s full support for Germany, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte pledged that the alliance would remain united with Berlin.
Rutte also stressed that NATO would continue strengthening its defense capabilities and providing reassurance to all allies against any threat.
Russia rejected Germany’s accusations and condemned Berlin’s announced measures.
Sergey Nechaev, Russia’s ambassador to Germany, said the measures would have consequences. In a statement on the embassy’s Telegram channel, he described Moscow’s accusation over the drone attack as baseless, absurd and contrary to logic, adding that the sanctions represented an unprecedented deterioration in relations between Russia and Germany.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also criticized Germany’s sanctions, calling them a new mistake.
“I believe this is a new mistake and a major mistake, and from my perspective, it is clearly against the interests of the German people,” Putin said at a press conference reported by the TASS news agency.
Germany, a NATO member and supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia, has for some time accused Moscow of involvement in various incidents, including espionage allegations, which Russia denies.