Germany has said Russia was responsible for last month's drone attack at Leipzig's airport. 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 found near the airport 10 days later.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said 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. Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Berlin said the allegation that Russia was responsible was "absurd".
Dobrindt said examination of the equipment used along with intelligence findings proved Russian involvement in the attack. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who was standing beside Dobrindt at a press conference in Berlin, said he would order the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn, and the contract for the Russian House in Berlin will also be terminated – which many observers have said has been used for espionage and to spread Russian propaganda.
He also announced tighter entry controls for Russian nationals and vowed to increase pressure on Moscow's shadow fleet – old tankers used by Russia to circumvent Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Wadephul said 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, said 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".