An alleged Russian drone plot at a German airport last month had “all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism,” European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asserted Wednesday, a day after Germany said Russia was responsible.
“We have already summoned Russian ambassadors,” Kallas told reporters in Ireland, ahead of a meeting with European foreign ministers. Kallas said E.U. member states would consider adding further sanctions on Russian military assets, in addition to working with Ukraine on efforts to put additional pressure on Moscow to end the war.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Russia was responsible for the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport in early August, which saw the discovery of an explosive-laden drone close to a runway. Germany's Bild newspaper reported that the drone had been found lying near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft. Federal police and a bomb disposal unit were deployed to safely dispose of the drone.
Leipzig/Halle has served as a European base for Ukraine's Antonov jets since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The airport is also used by NATO for transportation needs, as well as by the German military.
Wadephul said “the means used to commit the attack, including the drone’s configuration, various components, explosives and ignition technology, are familiar to us from other Russian hybrid operations and from Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
