The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, considered that the attempted explosive drone attack at Leipzig airport in Germany represents "a new escalation on EU soil" and stated that the European bloc "will not tolerate" these threats. Von der Leyen made these statements during a joint press conference with the NATO secretary-general, Mark Rutte, making it clear that it was "an attack with military-grade material, carried out by Russian agents on European Union soil".
German authorities considered that a Russian intelligence agency was behind the operation. According to the German Interior Minister, the methods used at the airport are similar to those of other hybrid operations attributed to Russia and involved low-level intermediaries, used to execute the operation.
Von der Leyen defended that, if the intention was to make Europe rethink its support for Ukraine, the measure "only strengthened" the determination to continue supporting Kyiv, warning that "intimidation does not work". The president of the European Commission warned that "Europeans are facing the harsh reality that this is the new normal" and that they need to be prepared to respond to Russia's recklessness more quickly and effectively.
The European leader stated that "Europe and NATO will not just maintain pressure on Russia, but will increase it", expressing full solidarity with Germany. The news is being updated.
