An Explosive-Carrying Drone from Moscow? — Government Remains Tight-lipped

The German government still refuses to comment publicly on who is responsible for the attempted attack with an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. When asked about reports in Springer Media Group outlets suggesting that the government believes Russia is behind the incident, a government spokesperson said: “The German government does not engage in speculation. The only relevant factor is the official determination made by the federal government at its own discretion and after weighing all the findings of the investigation.”

“Welt am Sonntag,” “Politico,” and “Bild” reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that the government is preparing a comprehensive package of measures against Moscow. 

Response Expected Soon

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) said Thursday in a TV interview that the federal government would soon conclusively determine who was behind the attack and that there would then be “a corresponding response very soon.” As early as Tuesday, during a closed-door cabinet meeting, he had emphasized that the perpetrators of hybrid attacks would “pay for it.” 

Sources within the government indicated that, in such a serious case, the expulsion of one or two diplomats would not suffice. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) had explained that the government first wanted to establish proof and then carefully consider the consequences and be able to implement them.

Serious Attack

The drone, rigged with explosives, was discovered on the evening of August 4 in the airport’s security zone among Ukrainian cargo planes. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office described it as a “serious attack on Germany’s transportation and logistics infrastructure.”