German Chancellor Merz set to blame Russia for Leipzig drone incident
Politico reports that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to formally blame Russia for the drone incident at Leipzig airport and respond with sanctions. An announcement is expected early next week, alongside a new EU sanctions package.
According to Politico, citing its own sources, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to directly hold Russia responsible for the appearance of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport and to respond with sanctions. A new European Union sanctions package is reportedly being prepared in parallel.
Sources told the outlet that a public statement is planned for early next week, coinciding with a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Ireland — though it could come sooner if the chancellor decides so.
Two of the sources compared the expected announcements from Berlin to "Zeitenwende 2.0," referencing the "turning point" declared by then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
One source said the German government believes that after such a serious incident, expelling individual Russian diplomats or closing the "Russian House" in Berlin would no longer be a sufficient response — instead, the reply should be a genuine strengthening of sanctions or a further increase in military aid to Ukraine.
Background
On Tuesday, Merz already stated that the Leipzig incident would have serious consequences, without naming those responsible. When asked officially to comment on these plans, the government said it did not want to engage in speculation. A government spokesperson said the only thing that matters is the federal government's official conclusion on responsibility, to be reached after weighing the results of the investigation.
On August 4, a drone carrying explosives was discovered at Leipzig/Halle airport near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane used to transport military cargo. German security services reportedly have little doubt that Moscow is behind the drone incident, and US intelligence also links the event to Russia. Russia's embassy in Berlin has called the Leipzig incident a fabricated provocation.
