Germany considered Russia "responsible" for sending a drone loaded with explosives discovered in early August at Leipzig airport and announced retaliatory measures against Moscow. Although these decisions seem mostly "symbolic", they nevertheless affect Russian intelligence operations.

First modification: 09/02/2026 - 20:22 Last modification: 09/02/2026 - 21:07

Germany officially accused Russia, on Tuesday, September 1, of being behind the explosive-laden drone discovered in early August at Leipzig airport.

To underline Berlin's condemnation, the head of German diplomacy, Johann Wadephul, announced at the same time a series of retaliatory measures: the closure in Bonn of the country's last Russian consulate and the "Russian House" cultural center in Berlin; the "reinforcement" of pressure on the "Russian ghost fleet" and a proposal to include new Russian citizens on European sanctions lists.

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"Germany is taking one of the first concrete diplomatic steps," explains Julian Pawlak, specialist in security and defense issues at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). Although Berlin has already attributed other sabotage actions to Moscow since 2022 and the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is the first time that the country has offered a diplomatic response of this level.

These measures send "a simple message to Russia: 'We disapprove of your actions and we are reacting'," analyzes Christian Kaunert, a specialist in international security issues at Dublin City University.

Although he considers this response from Berlin to be essentially "symbolic", he highlights that, by closing the Bonn consulate, Germany "deals a blow to Russian intelligence operations" carried out through diplomatic representations.

It is true that the Russian embassy in Berlin still exists, but this decision "makes it logistically difficult for Russia to continue some of its activities."

Read alsoWhat are the implications of Germany holding Russia responsible for a hybrid attack?

Silence by Friedrich Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, absent from the press conference on Tuesday, did not make any statement. To announce its retaliatory measures against Moscow, Germany therefore chose to send its Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, and its Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, to the front line. An "intelligent and correct" choice for Christian Kaunert.

"It was probably more prudent for the chancellor not to speak out personally, in order to preserve room for maneuver to be able to dialogue with the Russian leaders later," he believes, either after new Russian attacks on German territory or during possible peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. "If the chancellor had spoken out publicly, it would have made that possibility much more difficult in the future."

Indeed, last week, the German chancellor was careful not to mention Moscow when he warned the perpetrators of hybrid attacks—cyberattacks, acts of sabotage, disinformation—that they would "pay the price."

Read also"Harder, just the way they like it": how Russia will respond to Berlin: 'Gazeta'

Coordination within the EU?

Since the Berlin announcement, European reactions have been numerous. Russian chargé d'affaires have been summoned in Paris, Lisbon and before the European Union, while the Brussels executive has shown its support for Germany.

"This is an attack carried out with military equipment by Russian agents on the territory of the European Union. We will not tolerate it," denounced the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while the head of European diplomacy, the Estonian Kaja Kallas, considered that the sending of a Russian drone to Leipzig presented "the characteristics of an act of terrorism supported by a State."

These reactions suggest that "even before Germany announced its decisions, it is likely that there was already coordination within the EU and with NATO. Therefore, a whole series of measures can be expected in the coming days," notes Christian Kaunert.

And one of the objectives of the hybrid attacks attributed to Russia in Europe is to dissuade Europeans from supporting Ukraine. For Julian Pawlak, "the governments and populations of European countries must become aware that this is part of a broader campaign aimed at destabilizing and sowing fear in societies, and they must not be intimidated by these types of actions."

In any case, Berlin's response does not seem to have impressed Vladimir Putin. After summoning the German chargé d'affaires in the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Kremlin leader has dismissed the retaliatory measures, which, according to him, are related to the "upcoming election campaigns" in Germany.

This article was adapted from its original French version

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