Germany to blame Russia for Leipzig airport drone plot: Report

Germany’s government intends to hold Russia responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport following investigators’ findings, the daily Bild reported Tuesday.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has changed his travel plans so he could appear with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt at a news conference later on Tuesday, the newspaper reported, citing security sources.

Bild said the government now assumes the Leipzig incident was an attack attempt commissioned by Moscow. Berlin had so far held back from a direct public attribution. Until now, Dobrindt had spoken only of “foreign powers” behind the incident.

According to the security sources, the trail from the explosive-laden drone points to a Russian intelligence service. Investigators’ findings have “condensed to the point” that Berlin wants to attribute the case to that service, Bild reported.

German authorities told media last week that the attempted attack on a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at Leipzig Airport in August was more serious than initially described. The drone had been rigged with explosives, and investigators have concluded that several drones were involved rather than one.

Welt am Sonntag also reported that the discovery of a weapons cache near Berlin has hardened the German government’s stance. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, assessed that the weapons were stashed for Russian spies who could be ordered by Moscow to carry out assassinations.

The Russian Embassy in Berlin has not issued an official statement on the allegations. Moscow has previously rejected claims of assassinations, sabotage and spying in countries allied with Ukraine, accusing Western governments of stoking “anti-Russian paranoia.”