German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to blame Russia for drone incidents at Leipzig airport and announce new large-scale sanctions, according to Politico reported on August 29.
The German government plans to impose restrictions against Russian enterprises in parallel with the upcoming European Union sanctions package. The announcement is scheduled for early next week, ahead of an EU foreign ministers meeting in Ireland.
“In connection with the incident in Leipzig, it is not enough to simply expel diplomats or close the Russian House,” a source said. “Tougher measures were needed, such as tougher sanctions or even more extensive arms supplies to Ukraine.”
On August 5, a drone packed with explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as potentially part of a hybrid attack.
Later, on August 10, a second UAV with explosives crashed into another Ukrainian cargo plane at the same airport. German authorities are now examining the possibility that the incidents constituted a false flag operation conducted by Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
