Germany says Russia responsible for hybrid drone attack at Leipzig Airport

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said that Russia was responsible for the incident involving a drone carrying explosives near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month.

Source: European Pravda, citing Dobrindt in Handelsblatt

Details: Dobrindt said that the methods used in the Leipzig incident had also been employed in other Russian attacks. He noted that the operation had been carried out by low-level agents, which was consistent with the pattern of Russian hybrid operations.

He said intelligence findings had confirmed this assessment and showed that those involved had acted in Russia's interests.

Dobrindt said that the German federal government had therefore concluded that Russia was responsible for the hybrid attack in Leipzig on 4 August. He stressed that Germany was not at war but was a target of hybrid warfare on a daily basis.

He added that the government expected Germany to remain a target of Russian hybrid attacks and that it did not regard the Leipzig incident as an isolated case, but rather viewed it in the context of other hybrid operations.

Leipzig Airport is important not only as a logistics hub, including for parcel delivery company DHL, but is also regularly used for military transport by the Bundeswehr and NATO.

Background:

• German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Tuesday that Germany would respond in a measured manner to the discovery of a drone carrying explosives near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
• On 4 August, a drone carrying explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The aircraft was being used to transport military cargo.

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