Merz prepares to blame Russia for drone attack at Leipzig airport

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to hold Russia responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport and announce sweeping sanctions against Moscow, according to Politico and Welt am Sonntag, cited by Report.

According to the sources, the German government plans to impose direct sanctions on Russian organizations. At the same time, the European Union is preparing a new package of restrictive measures against Russia.

One source noted that following the Leipzig incident, Berlin no longer considers the expulsion of individual Russian diplomats or the closure of the Russian House in Berlin sufficient. According to the source, tougher measures are needed, including stronger sanctions or even increased arms supplies to Ukraine.

The sources did not specify what measures Merz intends to announce. It also remains unclear to what extent Berlin plans to attribute responsibility for the attempted attack to individual Russian citizens or directly to the Russian government.

Merz is expected to make the announcement early next week, coinciding with a meeting of EU foreign ministers scheduled for September 1 in Ireland. However, two sources did not rule out the possibility that the statement could come earlier.

Germany is also reportedly preparing for a possible tough response from Moscow and retaliatory measures by Russia.

It was previously reported that an attack drone deliberately struck a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig Airport but failed to explode.