EU weighs new Russia sanctions after Leipzig drone plot, German sabotage probes
EU foreign ministers push new Russia sanctions after a drone with explosives was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Germany calls hybrid warfare.
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Ireland on Wednesday called for fresh sanctions against Russia, after Germany blamed Moscow for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the incident as bearing "all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism" and said the bloc would "respond with resolve."
The drone, laden with explosives and a detonator, was discovered by airport workers last month at the eastern German hub, which serves as a major civilian freight and NATO logistics base and hosts Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo planes. Germany has framed the incident as part of a broader Russian hybrid campaign to intimidate and sow division among nations supporting Ukraine.
Russia has denied any involvement and its foreign ministry spokesperson vowed a response to what it called "anti-Russian action." In a coordinated move, the EU and several member states summoned Russian embassy officials. Germany also announced it would close Russia's consulate general in Bonn and terminate an agreement with the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for action against Russia's "shadow fleet" of ships accused of evading energy sanctions, while Kallas said the EU was working on measures targeting Russia's military-industrial complex.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys argued that Moscow sees little political cost in its hybrid activities, calling them a "cheap way to make tensions in our society." He stressed the goal was to show such actions would neither intimidate the bloc nor deter continued support for Ukraine.
Fresh sabotage probes
As the EU deliberated, German authorities were investigating two suspected sabotage incidents within 24 hours. In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, vandalism at a substation forced lignite power plant units with a combined capacity of 4,200 megawatts off the grid. In the eastern state of Brandenburg, devices carrying conductive material damaged power lines at a critical high-voltage node.
No suspects have been named. North Rhine-Westphalia's interior minister said foreign powers or left-wing extremists could not be ruled out. Brandenburg's interior minister, Jan Redmann, noted apparent parallels between the incidents but said investigations were at an early stage.
The timing is politically sensitive, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which advocates closer ties with Moscow, leading polls ahead of a state election this weekend. Lawmaker Alexander Throm of the ruling conservatives said it was "extremely striking" that such incidents often surge before elections, adding that the apparent goal was to unsettle the public—a motive shared by Russia and other actors like left-wing extremists.