EU and Nato pledge tougher response to Russia after Leipzig drone escalation
After Germany blamed Russia for a drone attack on Leipzig airport, EU and Nato leaders warned of a new escalation and vowed a faster, stronger response, as Germany also reported suspected sabotage at power substations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia is becoming increasingly reckless and pledged to respond to what they called a "new normal". Von der Leyen described the incident as a new escalation on EU soil directly attributed to Russia, a day after Germany blamed Moscow for a failed drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport in August.
Germany's interior minister said on Tuesday that police investigations and intelligence findings confirmed Russian involvement, noting that the drone's configuration, components, explosives and detonator matched known Russian hybrid operations. On 4 August, a drone carrying explosives is believed to have targeted a Ukrainian cargo plane; it was defused by a robot, while a second drone is thought to have collided with another cargo aircraft. A third drone was found at the airport, a key Nato hub, ten days later. Two suspects have reportedly been identified: a Belarusian holding a Russian passport who entered on a tourist visa, and another person holding Latvian and Russian passports.
Russia has denied the accusations. Von der Leyen stressed that military-grade material and Russian operatives were involved on EU territory and said this would not be tolerated. Meeting in Ireland, EU foreign ministers discussed possible action against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" used to evade sanctions, while France, Belgium and the Netherlands summoned Russian ambassadors in protest. Lithuania's foreign minister said Russia clearly sees no political cost from its hybrid operations.
Rutte added that drones and missiles crossing into Nato's eastern flank countries pose a growing risk, alongside other hostile acts such as fires at defence-related factories. In the past day, Germany reported suspected sabotage at two electricity substations, including one in Bergheim in the west, where six launching devices were found in a field. Regional authorities called it a deliberate attack and are investigating both foreign-state sabotage and left-wing extremism as possible causes.
Von der Leyen noted the EU has already approved a €90bn loan for Ukraine and is discussing further funding for PAC-3 air defence missiles, alongside continued work on the joint EU-Ukraine Freyja missile defence project. She pledged that pressure on Moscow would keep increasing until Russia stops its war in Ukraine.
