The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused Germany this Sunday, September 6, of initiating a "real war" against Russia, reacting to Berlin's position regarding the alleged involvement of Moscow in the drone incident at Leipzig airport. On the night of August 4, a drone loaded with explosives was discovered in the cargo operations area of the airport, near several Ukrainian cargo planes, and a second device reportedly hit a plane belonging to carrier DHL. Ten days later, investigators found a third drone in a field in Kabelsketal, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, near the western area of the airport.
Leipzig airport is a major European cargo transport hub and is used as a transit point for sending military aid destined for Ukraine. The German government held Russia responsible for the "hybrid attack" and announced a set of retaliatory measures, including the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn starting September 18 and the cancellation of the contract allowing the cultural center Russia House to operate in Berlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Germany has no evidence against Moscow and associated Berlin's accusations with the difficult internal political situation of the European nation. Lavrov, in statements to Russian television, criticized the fact that no one had properly investigated the incident, considering that the German accusations essentially represent the beginning of a real war.
