EU summons Russian ambassador over failed drone attack in Leipzig

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said ahead of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland that she had summoned the Russian ambassador in Brussels over an alleged attempted hybrid attack involving a drone carrying explosives at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August. She said this in a post on X.

“The attacks in Leipzig bear all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism. We will respond decisively. Some 1,600 items concerning Russia’s military complex are already being worked on, and we are ready to increase their number. We, as well as many member states, have also summoned Russia’s representative to the EU,” she said.

According to Deutsche Welle, Germany’s foreign and interior ministers said at a joint press conference on September 1 that the government in Berlin had concluded that Russia was responsible for the failed attack.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also told reporters in Dublin that Paris had summoned Russia’s representative in response to the incident.

“I summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Paris to lodge a protest,” Barrot said, adding that sanctions should be imposed at European level, particularly against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”.

Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have rejected the accusations against Moscow and said that Berlin was seeking to divert attention from its own shortcomings.

On August 4, an attempted act of sabotage against a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft took place at Leipzig Airport. Citing German investigators, media reports said that several drones were involved in the alleged attack. One of the drones carrying explosives was discovered near Ukrainian cargo aircraft, while a second apparently collided with a DHL cargo aircraft several minutes after the first was discovered.