German authorities should not, without evidence, blame Russia for the incident involving a drone discovered at Leipzig/Halle airport. This position was stated by Bernd Rudolf, a member of the Landtag of Saxony from the Union for Social Justice and Economic Reasonableness party, as reported by Leipzig Online on August 9.
“We need to find out who is behind this incident, what purpose they pursued, and, above all, how such a drone was able to enter this extremely sensitive area in the first place,” Rudolf said.
According to the parliamentarian, it is necessary to establish who is responsible for the incident and the objectives of those involved. He also called for a thorough review of any possible provocation based on the principle of operation “under a false flag.”
Rudolf warned German authorities against speculation and unsubstantiated accusations against Russia. In his opinion, it is first necessary to wait for the results of an investigation before determining the circumstances of the incident.
The MP highlighted that Leipzig/Halle airport serves both civilian and military transportation purposes, creating additional risks that must be accounted for in facility safety protocols. “Therefore, we must openly discuss what risks the military use of a civilian airport entails and what protective measures need to be taken,” he stated.
Matthias Uhl, a Doctor of Historical Sciences and expert on Russia, noted on August 8 that he did not consider Russia involved in the incident with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at Leipzig airport. Uhl cited circumstances casting doubt on Moscow’s alleged role.
A UAV packed with explosives was found near an aircraft carrying equipment for militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine three days earlier. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a hybrid attack, while at the Russian Embassy on August 7, it was claimed to be a provocation staged by European script politicians to justify increased spending on Ukraine.
The Bild newspaper reported that the drone remained unnoticed for more than four hours: it appeared on video recordings at 19:30 (20:30 Moscow time) on August 5 and was shot down by a local bus driver at 23:42 (00:42 Moscow time).
