The German government believes that the failed attack with an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport last month was carried out on behalf of Russia, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Tuesday, with the government in Berlin shuttering two Russian bodies in response.
Dobrindt told reporters in Berlin that police investigations, patterns of criminal activity and intelligence findings point to Russian responsibility for the attempted attack on the airport.
The minister said the technology found at the scene and the interplay of individual elements had to be described as professional, and indicated a high degree of technical expertise and considerable organizational effort in the planning and execution of the attack.
"The final execution of the attempted attack can be attributed to the area of low-level agents," he said, adding: "Let me make this clear: We are not at war, but we are a daily target of hybrid warfare."
The Russian consulate general in Bonn is to be closed on September 18, and the lease for the Russian House, a Russian cultural institution in the heart of Berlin, will be terminated, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.
In addition, further individuals are to be added to EU sanctions lists and be subject to entry bans. Entry controls for Russian nationals are also to be tightened. Pressure on the so-called Russian shadow fleet will be increased, he said.
"Further measures in the field of intelligence" will also be taken, Wadephul said.
Wadephul ordered the Russian ambassador to be summoned to inform him of the measures.
Speculation had been rife for weeks that Moscow might be behind the August 4 incident, but Berlin has taken until now to officially identify a suspect, citing lengthy negotiations.
A drone fitted with explosives and a detonation mechanism was discovered on the evening of August 4 in the security zone of Leipzig/Halle Airport, between Ukrainian cargo aircraft, prompting a temporary halt to flights.
A short time later, a second unidentified flying object collided with a DHL cargo aircraft that had been unable to land due to the runway closure and was forced to abort its landing.
Russia denied involvement in the incident.
Dobrindt has now stated that the methods used - such as the drone configuration, the explosives and the detonation technology - are known to be employed by Russia. He attributed the attack to "low-level agents."
According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, Russia is also suspected of repeatedly deploying such auxiliary agents in this country - recruited for relatively little money - to carry out sabotage or even prepare attacks. The aim often appears to be to undermine German support for Ukraine.
Russia vowed to respond "in kind" to the German sanctions, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told dpa in Moscow on Tuesday evening.
Zakharova said the response would mirror those given to previous one-sided and unjust sanctions.
In previous instances, Russia has responded to punitive measures by EU and NATO states with tit-for-tat countermeasures.
The closure of the Russian House could be met with the closure of the German Goethe Institute cultural centre in Russia.
Zakharova also said that Moscow held Germany responsible for involvement in terrorist attacks on Russian citizens.
Germany is Ukraine's biggest supporter. "Berlin sponsors terrorism," she said, referring to Germany's weapons deliveries and billions in aid to Ukraine.
"It is obvious that Germany is taking the further path of escalation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, accusing Berlin of having no evidence. "When such serious accusations are made, they should be substantiated in some way," Peskov said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
In a post on Telegram, Zakharova asked whether the government in Berlin had chosen the date by chance as Germany started World War II on September 1, 1939, and subsequently invaded the Soviet Union.
People in Germany must brace themselves for further Russian actions. "We assume that Germany is the target of further hybrid attacks by Russia. It must also be assumed that there is a willingness to cause even greater damage through hybrid attacks," Germany's interior minister Dobrindt said.
Speaking to Germany's two main public broadcasters later on Tuesday evening, foreign minister Wadephul described the German sanctions as an appropriate and necessary response.
"We must not allow Russia to labour under the misconception that it can do such things without Germany reacting," he said on ZDF. Germany wants a different, constructive relationship with Russia, he said. "We remain open to dialogue."
"We are unhappy that Russia has adopted such a hostile course towards Europe and towards Germany," he told ARD.
"We will keep the EU united despite these escalating and serious acts," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social media. The EU stood united and resolute against Russian aggression and would deter anyone who tried to undermine freedom and security in the EU, she said.
"Russia is seeking to sow distrust and fear among our societies. But it will fail. And we will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes," she posted on X.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the measures Germany plans to take.
"Our support to Ukraine is unwavering, as is our ironclad commitment to NATO's collective defence," he said.
NATO would continue to strengthen its ability to deter and defend all allies against any threat, including malicious acts such as those in Leipzig and elsewhere in alliance territory, Rutte said.
Von der Leyen and Rutte said they spoke with Merz on Tuesday about the drone incident. Rutte said he and von der Leyen would consult on Wednesday.
The Baltic States pledged support with Germany.
"This confirms once again that Russia is prepared to carry out attacks on European soil and far beyond its own borders, even at the risk of casualties," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in Tallinn.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal wrote on X: "We strongly condemn this reckless act. Russia has taken its hybrid attacks in Europe to a new and dangerous level."
"Its aim is to intimidate us and weaken our support for Ukraine. It will not work."
"Our response must be the opposite: More support for Ukraine and more pressure on Russia."
