Weeks after an explosive-laden drone was found at a German airport near a Ukrainian cargo plane, the German government has blamed Russia for the incident and announced significant consequences for Moscow, including the closure of a Russian consulate.
Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s interior minister, said Tuesday that investigators had proof that the drone had been controlled by agents who were working “on behalf of Russian state entities.”
“Taken together, police investigations, patterns of operation, and intelligence findings prove Russian responsibility for the attempted attack,” Mr. Dobrindt said at a news conference. “The federal government therefore concludes that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack,” he said.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, speaking at a news conference early Wednesday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where he was at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, accused the German authorities of planting the evidence. The goal, he said, was to blame Russia for political problems facing Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz.
“The chancellor’s position is difficult domestically,” Mr. Putin said. “He doesn’t enjoy the trust of his citizens, and it’s clear why. Because he’s not defending national interests, but rather selling them out. There are obvious economic missteps. Businesses are closing, people are losing jobs, and living standards are falling.”
Mr. Putin continued: “Given the falling approval ratings and the upcoming election campaigns, including in Saxony, for example, the question of the political future of Germany’s ruling elite naturally arises. I think this is primarily related to this. I think this is another mistake, a grave mistake, and, in my view, it clearly runs counter to the interests of the German people.”
Germany’s accusation is among the gravest recent claims of Russian subterfuge in Europe, where leaders have been locked in a standoff with Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
It follows warnings from European officials that Moscow is increasingly launching small-scale clandestine attacks at countries that support Ukraine, including by jamming aviation-navigation networks over the Baltic Sea, sending drones into Belgian airspace and planting explosives on train lines in Poland that are used to ship military aid to Ukraine.
To punish Russia, the German government said on Tuesday that it would:
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shut down the Russian diplomatic mission in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany
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cancel a contract for a Russian cultural center in central Berlin
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tighten restrictions on Russians traveling to Germany
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put more pressure on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, oil tankers flying under foreign flags that help Russia to circumvent embargo
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ask European Union officials to place more Russians under Europe-wide sanctions
The moves came a day after Germany criticized the Trump administration’s decision to welcome Russia’s finance minister to a Group of 20 summit in North Carolina, the first such invitation since the invasion of Ukraine.
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, joined Mr. Dobrindt at the briefing to criticize Russia for refusing efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two countries. “The Russian leadership has made a conscious decision to further significantly damage our already heavily strained bilateral relations,” Mr. Wadephul said.
Several European leaders quickly expressed support for Germany. The British prime minister, Andy Burnham, said in a statement that Britain “stands in full solidarity with Germany following Russia’s egregious and reckless attack,” while Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union’s executive branch, used similar language to back Berlin and condemn Moscow.
The drone was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany in the early hours of Aug. 4 by an airport worker. The drone was equipped with military-grade explosives, investigators found, and with what appeared to be a faulty detonator.
Airport security footage later showed that the drone had crashed into a wing of a massive Ukrainian cargo plane that is stationed there. Investigators said that the drone would have caused significant damage and possibly killed people if it had exploded because the plane’s fuel tanks are in that wing.
Shortly afterward, a separate cargo plane approaching the airport was hit by another object, which investigators said was a second drone. A third drone equipped with explosives was later found on a field close by.
The officials on Tuesday said the incident was part of a pattern of hybrid attacks against Germany’s critical infrastructure and defense companies.
“Let me make one thing clear: We are not at war, but we are a daily target of hybrid warfare,” Mr. Dobrindt said.
His announcement came hours after explosions were reported at an electricity substation close to a power plant in eastern Germany, close to the border with Poland. Jan Redmann, the interior minister for the surrounding state, said that at least 10 homemade incendiary devices were found on the site and called it “targeted sabotage,” but did not say who was behind the attack.
Paul Sonne contributed reporting from Berlin and Michael D. Shear from London.