Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev threatened Germany with a 'direct strike' after the German government said Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport18:47, 02 Sep 2026Updated 20:57, 02 Sep 2026Russia’s top security official has threatened Germany with a "direct strike" on its military production facilities and issued threats against Western leaders supporting Ukraine.‌Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, made the remarks after the German government said it had concluded that Moscow was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany on August 4.‌At a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the government announced diplomatic counter-measures in response to the incident - a move backed by NATO, the European Union and other European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.‌Medvedev wrote in a Telegram post on Wednesday: "Berlin has accused Russia of an unproven attack on Leipzig Airport. Given the neo-Nazi, rabidly Russophobic policies of the current German leadership, a fabricated act of sabotage is the weakest form of punishment for their sins."They deserve a direct strike on all German military equipment production facilities for the [Stepan] Bandera clique. And quite possibly on several other locations in Berlin as well."‌Medvedev also threatened Western countries, saying: "Every terror has sponsors. At the moment, these are the heads of Western countries, primarily European ones. And they often travel to Kyiv by train..."Referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's warnings on Tuesday to airlines operating in Russian airspace, Medvedev described them as "the mad clown's threats against civil aviation in Russian skies".He added: "The head of state [Vladimir Putin] has already described them [the warnings] as an attempt by the Bandera regime to engage in state terrorism. They don't negotiate with terrorists and respond to their actions with retaliation."‌German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at Tuesday's press conference that, after assessing the drone technology used and other intelligence, "the government concludes that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack in Leipzig on August 4".He blamed "low-level agents" for the operation and said that "the drone configuration - various components, explosives and ignition systems - are known to us from other hybrid operations by Russia and its war against Ukraine".‌"We do not view the Leipzig incident in isolation, but rather see it in the context of other hybrid actions," he said. "We assume that Germany is the target of further hybrid attacks by Russia."The airport plays a key role in transporting military goods for the German military and NATO allies, and serves as a base for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines.Germany will close Russia's consulate in Bonn later this month and cancel the contract for the Russian House, a cultural centre in Berlin, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.‌"We are tightening entry controls for Russian nationals", he said, adding that Germany would propose the listing of more Russian individuals for EU sanctions.Wadephul said he had summoned Russia's ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechayev.Following the press conference, the EU expressed "full solidarity" with Berlin, while NATO assured that it would defend its members. European countries including the UK, France and Poland also expressed their support.‌Burnham said in a statement released by No 10: "The United Kingdom stands in full solidarity with Germany following Russia’s egregious and reckless attack in Leipzig."Russian attempts to undermine our united resolve and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and doomed to fail. As I made clear in Kyiv last week, our commitment to supporting Ukraine from Russia’s illegal invasion is ironclad."The strong measures taken by the German government show action against any attack of this nature will be met with a clear response. We will not waver in our resolve to deter attacks on our freedom and security."Article continues belowLater on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Germany of planting evidence to blame Moscow for the incident.He branded the move to impose sanctions "another mistake, a serious one", saying it "clearly runs counter to the interests of the German people".The Russian embassy said in a post on Telegram that ambassador Nechayev had "rejected" Berlin's accusations as "unsubstantiated" and "absurd" and warned that they would "not be without consequences".