Germany Officially Accuses Russia of Attacking Ukrainian An-124 in Leipzig

Germany has accused Russia of being responsible for a drone attack on a Ukrainian An-124 aircraft at Leipzig Airport last month.

According to Deutsche Welle, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the attack followed a “well-known pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe.”

He also warned that Germany could be targeted by similar attacks again.

“The methods used, including the drone’s design, its components, the explosives, and the detonation systems, are known to us from other Russian hybrid operations and from Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul added.

Security experts had previously suggested that Russia could be behind the attack, but Moscow has traditionally denied any involvement.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who spoke alongside Dobrindt at a press conference in Berlin, said he would order the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn.

In addition, Germany will terminate the agreement concerning the Russian House in Berlin, which many observers believe has been used for espionage and the spread of Russian propaganda.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the Alliance is “fully in solidarity with Germany.”

“The evidence is clear. And I welcome the measures announced by Germany in response,” he wrote on X.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the attack at a meeting in Ireland later on Tuesday.

Sabotage in Leipzig

On August 4, a drone equipped with explosives and a detonator was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo aircraft. The drone crashed into the aircraft’s wing but did not detonate. Leipzig Airport was temporarily closed while bomb disposal experts dealt with the device.

According to journalists, the shipment of military equipment and ammunition had arrived in Germany from France and was being prepared for onward transportation.

U.S. intelligence has determined that Russian military intelligence was involved in an attempted act of sabotage involving a drone near an An-124 Ruslan aircraft at Leipzig Airport in early August.

According to the source, the explosives and the drone’s design match equipment used by Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff.

In a statement issued on August 24, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused German politicians and European media of “immediately” reaching an “unambiguous conclusion” and blaming Russia for the incident “without even waiting for the preliminary results of the investigation.”

On August 25, German law enforcement officials found a third drone and new evidence in the case involving an attempted attack at Leipzig Airport. In particular, investigators discovered that more drones may have been involved in the hybrid operation than previously believed.

On August 10, German newspaper Die Zeit confirmed the failed sabotage attempt after analyzing video footage.

During the incident, the drone crashed into the wing of the An-124 Ruslan for unknown reasons but did not explode.

A U.S. intelligence source familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the device failed to explode because its triggering mechanism had been disabled.