French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot stated that European nations will respond with consequences to hybrid attacks following the explosive drone strike on Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport.
In a statement published by the French Embassy in the US, Barrot outlined three principles regarding the current security situation.
He asserted that Russia remains the sole aggressor since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and emphasized that European countries have not initiated actions against Moscow.
Addressing the Leipzig incident, Barrot characterized the deployment of an explosive-laden drone against infrastructure as a severe escalation.
He stated that the EU and NATO will respond when the integrity of their infrastructure, electoral systems, or democratic foundations is compromised.
Barrot also drew a distinction between the Russian government and its populace. He noted that Russian citizens are experiencing domestic rationing, economic constraints, and casualty rates of approximately 35,000 soldiers per month as a direct result of the Kremlin’s policies.
Rising sabotage incidents across Germany
The French minister’s remarks follow a confidential assessment by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), which recorded 165 suspected sabotage cases and 747 suspicious drone flights nationwide during the first eight months of 2026.
The BKA report, compiled through the GAZ-Hybrid threat response center, detailed 24 formal espionage investigations and 112 espionage-related crimes, including the unauthorized surveillance of military facilities and defense equipment.
While the BKA did not collectively attribute all 165 incidents to Moscow, German authorities have previously accused Russia of directing the failed August drone attack at the Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Recent domestic security investigations also include early September attacks on electrical substations in Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, where unidentified perpetrators used launched projectiles to cause high-voltage short circuits.
Additionally, authorities reported an August incident in Lower Saxony where suspects assaulted a security guard who was investigating drone activity over a natural gas processing facility.
Earlier in July, police in Bavaria arrested a Moldovan national suspected of operating a drone over the defense manufacturer KNDS on behalf of Russian state agencies.