The EU said it would increase pressure on Russia, including through new sanctions, after two suspects were identified in an alleged Russian explosive-drone “hybrid attack” at Leipzig Halle Airport in Germany.
According to Reuters and several German media reports published on Wednesday, Sept. 2, investigators identified a Belarusian national holding a Russian passport and a Russian-born man with Latvian citizenship as suspects in the August incident at the eastern German airport, a major cargo hub used for both NATO and Ukrainian logistics.
“If Russia thinks we will be divided by the threat, or if they think we will be deterred from supporting Ukraine, they are mistaken,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in Brussels, following a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
What happened at Leipzig Halle Airport?
On Aug. 4, airport workers found an explosive-laden drone and a detonator in a secure cargo area, near a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 plane.
The two men were reportedly identified through DNA traces recovered from the drone, a container holding explosives and an antenna attached to a tree.
The Belarusian suspect allegedly entered the Schengen area on an Italian tourist visa issued in Minsk, while the Russian-born Latvian citizen allegedly coordinated logistics and instructed participants in the operation. The dual national reportedly arrived in Berlin in late July, rented a car and traveled toward Leipzig before leaving Germany two days before the attempted attack.
Germany’s response to Moscow
The German government blamed Russia for the hybrid attack on Tuesday, Sept. 1, saying it employed “low-level agents” for the campaign.
Around the same time, the country announced the closing of the Russian consulate in Bonn, a city in western Germany, and terminated its agreement governing the Russian House cultural center in Berlin.
Separately, Reuters reported Wednesday that Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Germany’s charge d’affaires in Moscow, while rejecting Berlin’s accusations as “entirely fabricated.”
“Berlin has deliberately engaged in a blatant provocation aimed at escalating tensions in Russian-German relations. The German authorities’ actions will be met with a firm response,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had also rejected the allegations, claiming that Germany had planted evidence to frame Moscow and was attempting to divert attention from domestic political problems.
Following Germany’s accusation, Russia’s top security official and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened the country with a “direct strike” on its military production facilities and hinted that targets in Berlin could also be attacked.
Medvedev also escalated his threats against Western officials supporting Ukraine, calling President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warnings to foreign airlines a “declaration by the Banderite regime of state terrorism.”
Meanwhile, Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is leading polls before this weekend’s state elections, has called for closer ties with Moscow.
Lawmaker Alexander Throm, an interior policy expert from Germany’s ruling conservatives, told Reuters that “the clear goal [of the incident] is to unsettle the public.”
“Of course, that is a goal shared not only by Russia but also by others, such as left-wing extremists,” he continued.
EU to increase pressure on Russia
Von der Leyen said Europe and NATO would not only maintain, but also increase the pressure on Moscow until Russia stopped its attacks against Ukraine altogether.
“We will increase it, and we will not stop – not until Russia stops bombing and killing innocent children, men and women,” Von der Leyen said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was considering measures targeting Russia’s military complex, while France called for action against the Russian “shadow fleet” accused of helping evade energy sanctions, Reuters reported.
The Leipzig Halle case came as German authorities opened separate investigations into suspected sabotage at electricity infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg.
The incidents disrupted lignite power-generation units with a combined capacity of 4,200 megawatts in the western region, while devices containing conductive material damaged power lines at a critical high-voltage node in Brandenburg.
Meanwhile, as of Aug. 30, the EU is drafting an expanded sanctions package against Russia that could target up to 1,600 individuals and legal entities.
NATO preparing for further escalations
Against the backdrop of rising tensions, NATO is preparing for further escalation, including possible Russian hybrid operations or limited ground incursions.
US intelligence assessments have warned that Moscow could test the alliance in the upcoming years, with risks continuously growing as the Kremlin increasingly views NATO’s provision of weapons and intelligence to Kyiv as direct involvement in the war.