Germany set to blame Russia for Leipzig airport drone plot

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt will hold a joint news conference on Tuesday to announce findings that attribute an attempted August drone attack on Leipzig Airport to Moscow, according to security sources cited by the daily Bild.

Government shifts attribution stance

Until now, Dobrindt had spoken only of "foreign powers" behind the incident, avoiding a direct public accusation against the Kremlin. The government now assumes the Leipzig incident was an attack attempt commissioned by Moscow, the newspaper reported, citing security sources. Investigators’ findings have "condensed to the point" that Berlin wants to attribute the case to a Russian intelligence service, according to Bild.

Attack details and weapons cache

German authorities revealed last week that the attempted attack on a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane was more serious than initially described, with the drone rigged with explosives and multiple drones involved rather than one. Welt am Sonntag also reported that the discovery of a weapons cache near Berlin has hardened the government’s stance, with the BfV assessing that the weapons were stashed for Russian spies who could be ordered to carry out assassinations.

Moscow rejects allegations

The Russian Embassy in Berlin has not issued an official statement on the allegations. Moscow has previously rejected claims of assassinations, sabotage and spying in countries allied with Ukraine, accusing Western governments of stoking "anti-Russian paranoia."