Andrei Kolesnik, a member of Russia’s State Duma defense committee, declared on September 14 that not a single Russian shell has landed in the territory of NATO countries or the European Union.
Kolesnik described current Western “hysterics” regarding alleged Russian attack plans as having no basis in fact, emphasizing there have been no provocations or incidents involving explosive materials on their soil. He further condemned accusations against Russia following a drone incident at Leipzig airport on August 5, which was reportedly packed with explosives, labeling such claims a “gross provocation.” Kolesnik also noted that Western weapons are actively used against Russia and added that despite Western allegations of an imminent Russian attack, many Europeans accept these statements as fact.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had previously alleged Russian responsibility for the Leipzig incident without providing evidence.
On September 9, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that anti-Russian hysteria in Europe after the Leipzig incident was a pre-planned escalation maneuver designed to maintain Russophobia and distract attention from “gross political miscalculations” by European elites, including the allocation of substantial resources to support Ukraine.
