The European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have vowed to increase pressure on Russia following what Germany described as a Russian drone attack on Leipzig airport. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said the incident represented a “new escalation” on European Union territory and accused Russia of becoming increasingly reckless in its activities across Europe. “Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia,” he said. prepared to respond to growing threats linked to Russia. Germany said a drone carrying explosives deliberately targeted a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle airport on August 4. The drone was disabled by a robot, while a second drone allegedly collided with another cargo plane. A third drone was found at the airport 10 days later. German authorities said police investigations and intelligence assessments had established that Russia was behind the incidents. They said the drone’s components, explosives and detonator were consistent with equipment previously linked to Russian hybrid operations. Russia rejected the accusations and said Germany had not provided any evidence to support its claims. Germany responded by announcing the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Casa Rusa cultural institution in Berlin. Moscow has threatened to respond with similar measures. EU foreign ministers are discussing new sanctions against Russia, including measures targeting the so-called “shadow fleet” of ships used to transport Russian oil and other goods while avoiding sanctions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said European countries could take action against the fleet, while ministers from France, Belgium and the Netherlands said they had summoned Russian ambassadors to protest the alleged attack. Von der Leyen said the EU would continue to increase pressure on Moscow and look for ways to reduce it. Russia’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine. He said the bloc had already agreed to provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro loan and was considering additional funds to help kyiv buy PAC-3 air defense missiles. The alleged Leipzig attack comes amid a series of alleged acts of sabotage in Germany and neighboring countries. Two electrical substations in Germany were attacked within 24 hours, causing power outages at two coal-fired power plants. Police found several devices at the locations and are investigating whether the incidents were related to sabotage by a foreign state or left-wing extremism. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a fire at a factory producing combat drones was a deliberate act of arson and sabotage. Authorities are also investigating another factory fire. NATO said the incidents are part of a broader pattern of Russian hybrid activity, including drone and missile raids, attacks on critical infrastructure and suspected sabotage. (BBCNews)
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